Taking a closer look at behaviour change techniques
This involves looking at some of the things which influence behavioural choices.
Understanding why people change their behaviour
Behavioural Change Techniques (BCT) are basically elements that influence behaviour change. They’re developed through public health research and theories like COM-B in the Behaviour theory remit.
Examples of effective BCTs
There are quite a few different BCTs that can be used for young driver road safety education. Here are three of the most effective:
Goal Setting
Setting a goal can give you a clear aim and desired outcome that can influence choices (for example, a goal to lose weight might influence food choices).
Action planning
This is a complementary BCT that can help a person plan towards a goal (for example, booking three exercise classes a week).
Self-monitoring
This simply involves keeping a check on any desired behaviours (for example, keeping a record of exercise classes attended, or tracking calorie intake).
BCTs in young driver interventions
Using BCTs can help you to map how an intervention can meet its aims and objectives. They can also positively influence the behaviours being targeted.
Of course, using BCTs to guide the design can’t guarantee that an intervention will be effective but it’ll certainly give it the best chance and help you think about the design in more detail.
A range of BCTs to choose from
There are 93 BCTs in 16 categories, all of which are outlined in detail in Dr Fiona Fylan’s report on Using Behaviour Change Techniques.
Some of these are more suited to young driver interventions than others.