Decision Models — What Psychological Theories Teach Us about People’s Behaviour

Abstract

This chapter introduces the most common environmental psychological decision models and analyses their relevance for the design of environmental communication strategies. The theories introduced in the first half of the chapter are: the theory of planned behaviour, the norm-activation theory, the value-belief-norm theory, and goal-framing theory. In the remainder of the chapter the role of the decisional context is analysed by discussing the ipsative theory of behaviour. The role of routines and habits is introduced and the comprehensive action determination model as an integration of the aforementioned theories is presented. Decision models are contrasted with behaviour change models, such as the transtheoretical model and the stage model of self-regulated behaviour change. The concluding section of the chapter drafts a framework that integrates the chapter’s conclusions into a complex model that can guide design of communication strategies.