Abstract
The emerging ambient persuasive technology looks very promising for many areas of personal and ubiquitous computing. Persuasive applications aim at changing human attitudes or behavior through the power of software designs. This theory-creating article suggests the concept of a behavior change support system (BCSS), whether web-based, mobile, ubiquitous, or more traditional information system to be treated as the core of research into persuasion, influence, nudge, and coercion. This article provides a foundation for studying BCSSs, in which the key constructs are the O/C matrix and the PSD model. It will (1) introduce the archetypes of behavior change via BCSSs, (2) describe the design process for building persuasive BCSSs, and (3) exemplify research into BCSSs through the domain of health interventions. Recognizing the themes put forward in this article will help leverage the full potential of computing for producing behavioral changes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
It should be noted that even if we speak about behavioral changes, we do not posit a behaviorist or any mechanistic psychological view towards human beings. End-users may use these applications to support achieving their goals, maintaining a constructivist view (cf., the field of education) towards human behavior.
For the sake of simplicity, we use the term “behavior” change rather than “behavioral” change even if the BCSS covers all three behavioral change types.
Tørning and Oinas-Kukkonen [30] report some interesting findings about the current state of research on BCSSs. For instance, thus far there has been much more research on C- and B-Change than on A-Change; only about 16 % of studies in their analysis regarding the different types of change addressed A-Change.
Persuasive technology can be described as an interdisciplinary field of research, whereas a BCSS is an object of study within the field. Affective computing [34] may be recognized as a sister-field of persuasive technology, or perhaps from the persuasive viewpoint as a sub-field of it, which more directly focuses on the emotions systems evoke. Sharp criticism of persuasive technology has been posed by Atkinson [35].
Psychological theories tend to differ between each other in their views to and emphasis of P2, P3 and P4.
Many of these persuasive features originate from Fogg [36].
References
Kraft P, Drozd F, Olsen E (2009) ePsychology: designing theory-based health promotion interventions. Commun Assoc Inf Syst 24, Article 24
Strecher V (2007) Internet methods for delivering behavioral and health-related interventions (eHealth). Annu Rev Clin Psychol 3:53–76
Midden C, Ham J (2009) Using negative and positive social feedback from a robotic agent to save energy. In: Proceedings of the fourth international conference on persuasive technology, ACM international conference proceeding series, vol 35, Claremont, CA, USA, 26–29 Apr 2009
Harjumaa M, Segerståhl K, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2009) Understanding persuasive system functionality in practice: a field trial of polar FT60. In: Proceedings of the fourth international conference on persuasive technology, ACM international conference proceeding series, vol 350, Claremont, CA, USA, 26–29 Apr 2009
Oinas-Kukkonen H, Harjumaa M (2009) Persuasive systems design: key issues, process model, and system features. Commun Assoc Inf Syst 2, Article 28:485–500
Fishbein M, Ajzen I (1975) Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: an introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley, Reading
Ajzen I (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process 50(2):179–211
Bandura A (1977) Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev 84:191–215
Bandura A (1986) Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs
Petty RE, Cacioppo JT (1986) Communication and persuasion: central and peripheral routes to attitude change. Springer, New York
Lehto T, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2009) The persuasiveness of web-based alcohol interventions: a qualitative evaluation. IFIP advances in information and communication technology, Software Services for e-Business and e-Society, vol 305, pp 316–327
Bensley RJ, Brusk JJ, Rivas J (2010) Key principles in internet-based weight management systems. Am J Health Behav 34(2):206–213
Neve M, Morgan PJ, Collins CE (2011) Weight change in a commercial web-based weight loss program and its association with website use: cohort study. J Med Internet Res 13(4):e83
Lehto T, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2011) Persuasive features in web-based alcohol and smoking interventions: a systematic review of the literature. J Med Internet Res 13(3):e46
Oinas-Kukkonen H (2010) Discipline of information systems: a natural strategic alliance for web science. In: Proceedings of the second international on web science conference (WebSci 10), Raleigh, NC, USA, 26–27 Apr 2010
Davis FD (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quart 13(3):319–339
Venkatesh V, Morris M, Davis GB, Davis FD (2003) User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view. MIS Quart 27(3):425–478
Festinger LA (1957) Theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press, Stanford
Locke EA, Latham GP (2002) Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. Am Psychol 57(9):705–717
Compeau DR, Higgins CA (1995) Computer self-efficacy: development of a measure and initial test. MIS Q 19(2):189–211
Rosenstock IM (1974) The health belief model and preventive health behavior, Health Education Monographs
Bish A, Sutton S, Golombok S (2000) Predicting uptake of a routine cervical smear test: a comparison of the health belief model and the theory of planned behaviour. Psychol Health 15(1):35–50
Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC (1994) The transtheoretical approach: crossing traditional boundaries of therapy, Krieger Pub Co
Prochaska JO, Velicer WF (1997) The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Am J Health Promot 12(1):38–48
Fishbein M (2000) The role of theory in HIV prevention. AIDS Care 12:273–278
Bandura A (2004) Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Educ Behav 31(2):143–164
Bensley RJ, Mercer N, Brusk JJ et al (2004) The eHealth behavior management model: a stage-based approach to behavior change and management. Prev Chronic Dis Pub Health Res Pract Pol 1(4):1–13
Fogg BJ (2009) The behavior grid: 35 ways behavior can change. In: Proceedings of the fourth international conference on persuasive technology, ACM international conference proceeding series, vol 350, Claremont, CA, USA, 26–29 Apr 2009
Lerbinger O (1972) Designs for persuasive communication. Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Tørning K, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2009) Persuasive system design: state of art and future directions. In: proceedings of the fourth international conference on persuasive technology, ACM international conference proceeding series, vol 350, Claremont, CA, USA, 26–29 Apr 2009
Xiao B, Benbasat I (2011) Product-related deception in e-commerce: a theoretical perspective. MIS Quart 35(1):169–195
Miller GR (2002) On being persuaded: some basic distinctions. In: Dillard JP, Pfau M (eds) The persuasion handbook: developments in theory and practice. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, pp 3–16
Fogg BJ (1999) Persuasive technologies: introduction. Commun ACM 42(5):26–29
Picard R (1997) Affective computing. MIT Press, Cambridge
Atkinson B (2006) Captology: a critical review. Springer, Lecture notes in computer science, vol 3962, pp 171–182
Fogg BJ (2003) Persuasive technology: using computers to change what we think and do. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco
Bogost I (2007) Persuasive games: the expressive power of videogames. The MIT Press, Cambridge
Oinas-Kukkonen H, Harjumaa M (2008) A systematic framework for designing and evaluating persuasive systems. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 5033. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 164–176
Forget A, Chiasson S, van Oorschot PC, Biddle R (2008) Persuasion for stronger passwords: motivation and pilot study. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 5033. Springer, pp 140–150
Obermair C, Reitberger W, Meschtscherjakov A, Lankes M, Tscheligi M (2008) Perframes: persuasive picture frames for proper posture. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 5033. Springer, pp 128–139
Chi P, Chen J, Chu H, Lo J (2008) Enabling calorie-aware cooking in a smart kitchen. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 5033. Springer pp 116–127
Parmar V, Keyson D, de Bont C (2009) Persuasive technology to shape social beliefs: a case of persuasive health information systems for rural women in India. Commun Assoc Inf Syst 24: Article 25
Munson SA, Lauterbach D, Newman MW, Resnick P (2010) Happier together: integrating a wellness application into a social network site. Lecture notes in computer science, persuasive, vol 6137, pp 27–39
Stibe A, Oinas-Kukkonen H, Berzina I, Pahnila S (2011) Incremental persuasion through microblogging: a survey of Twitter users in Latvia. In: Proceedings of the sixth international conference on persuasive technology, Columbus, OH, USA, 2–5 June 2011
Oinas-Kukkonen H, Harjumaa M (2008) Towards deeper understanding of persuasion in software and information systems. In: The first international conference on advances in human-computer interaction (ACHI’2008), Sainte Luce, Martinique, 10–15 Feb 2008, ISBN 978-0-7695-3086-4, pp 200–205, Best Paper Award
Benbasat I (2010) HCI research: future challenges and directions. AIS Trans Hum Comput Interact 2(2):16–21
Jenkin TA, Webster J, McShanea L (2011) An agenda for ‘Green’ information technology and systems research. Inf Organ 21(1):17–40
Derrick DC, Jenkins JL, Nunamaker Jr JF (2011) Design principles for special purpose, embodied, conversational intelligence with environmental sensors (species) agents. AIS Trans Hum-Comp Interact 3(2):62–81. Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol3/iss2/2
Cugelman B, Thelwall M, Dawes P (2011) Online interventions for social marketing health behavior change campaigns: a meta-analysis of psychological architectures and adherence factors. J Med Internet Res 13(1):e17
Young MM (2010) Twitter me: using micro-blogging to motivate teenagers to exercise. global perspectives on design science research. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 6105, pp 439–448
Li H, Chatterjee S (2010) Designing effective persuasive systems utilizing the power of entanglement: communication channel, strategy and affect. Lecture notes in computer science, persuasive, vol 6137
Yap M, Jorm A, Bazley R, Kelly C, Ryan S, Lubman D (2011) Web-based parenting program to prevent adolescent alcohol misuse: rationale and development. Australas Psychiatry 19(4):339–344
Räisänen T, Lehto T, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2010) Practical findings from applying the PSD model for evaluating software design specifications. Lecture notes in computer science, persuasive, vol 6137. Springer, pp 185–192
Segerståhl K, Kotro T, Väänänen-Vainio-Mattila K (2010) Pitfalls in persuasion: how do users experience persuasive techniques in a web service? Lecture notes in computer science, persuasive technology, vol 6137, pp 211–222
Kelders SM, Kok RN, Ossebaard HC, Van Gemert-Pijnen JEWC. Persuasive system design does matter: a systematic review of adherence to web-based interventions. J Med Internet Res. doi:10.2196/jmir.2104
Fichman RG, Kohli R, Krishnan R (2011) Editorial overview—the role of information systems in healthcare: current research and future trends. Inf Syst Res 22(3):419–428
Cassell MM, Jackson C, Cheuvront B (1998) Health communication on the internet: an effective channel for health behavior change. J Health Commun 3(1):71–79
Kelley H; Chiasson M, Downey A, Pacaud D (2011) The clinical impact of ehealth on the self-management of diabetes: a double adoption perspective. J Assoc Inf Syst 12(3), Article 4. Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss3/4
Ritterband LM, Gonder-Frederick LA, Cox DJ, Clifton AD, West RW, Borowitz SM (2003) Internet interventions: in review, in use, and into the future. Prof Psychol Res Pract 34(5):527–534
Wantland DJ, Portillo CJ, Holzemer WL, Slaughter R, McGhee EM (2004) The effectiveness of web-based vs. non-web-based interventions: a meta-analysis of behavioral change outcomes. J Med Internet Res 6(4)
Bock B, Graham A, Sciamanna C, Krishnamoorthy J, Whiteley J et al (2004) Smoking cessation treatment on the internet: content, quality, and usability. Nicotine Tob Res 6(2):207–219
Doshi A, Patrick K, Sallis JF, Calfas K (2003) Evaluation of physical activity web sites for use of behavior change theories. Ann Behav Med 25(2):105
Portnoy DB, Scott-Sheldon LAJ, Johnson BT, Carey MP (2008) Computer-delivered interventions for health promotion and behavioral risk reduction: a meta-analysis of 75 randomized controlled trials, 1988–2007. Prev Med 47(1):3–16
Duffett-Leger L, Paterson B, Albert W (2008) Optimizing health outcomes by integrating health behavior and communication theories in the development of e-health promotion interventions. eHealth Int 4(2):23–33
Berkovsky S, Freyne J, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2012) Influencing individually: fusing personalization and persuasion. ACM Trans Interact Intell Syst 2(2)
Kaptein M, De Ruyter B, Markopoulos P, Aarts E (2012) Adaptive persuasive systems: a study of tailored persuasive text messages to reduce snacking. ACM Trans Interact Intell Syst 2(2)
Enwald HP, Niemelä RM, Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi S, Leppäluoto J, Jämsä T, Herzig KH, Oinas-Kukkonen H, Huotari ML (2012) Human information behaviour and physiological measurements as a basis to tailor health information. An explorative study in a physical activity intervention among prediabetic individuals in Northern Finland. Health Inf Lib J 29(2):131–140
Bandura A (1994) Self-efficacy. In: Ramachaudran VS (ed) Encyclopedia of human behavior, vol 4. Academic Press, New York, pp 71–81
Davis J (2010) Generating directions for persuasive technology design with the inspiration card workshop. Lecture notes in computer science, persuasive technology, vol 6137, pp 262–273
Lehto T, Oinas-Kukkonen H (2010) Persuasive features in six weight loss websites: a qualitative evaluation. Lecture notes in computer science, persuasive, vol 6137, pp 62–173
Wiafe I, Nakata K, Moran S, Gulliver S (2011) Considering user attitude and behaviour in persuasive systems design; The 3D-RAB model. In: Proceedings of the 19th European conference on information systems (ECIS 2011). http://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2011/186
Yetim F (2011) A set of critical heuristics for value sensitive designers and users of persuasive systems. In: Proceedings of the 19th European conference on information systems (ECIS 2011). http://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2011/185
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank Academy of Finland and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation for financially supporting this research, as well as all of my doctoral students for their help in my research endeavors over this topic.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oinas-Kukkonen, H. A foundation for the study of behavior change support systems. Pers Ubiquit Comput 17, 1223–1235 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-012-0591-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-012-0591-5