Social-Cognitive Factors in Health Behavior Change - Essay Example

? Health Behaviour: Social-Cognitive Factors in Health Behavior Change Psychology relies on various stimuli and one of the visual information that is captured by the eye. This report will particularly consider the visual illusion which results from motion after-effect. This is an experience of an object in motion and the effect it has in the mental orientation of a person. This experiment involves viewing an object which is in relative motion with stationary eyes. It was found that the retinal reaction after observing such an object then focusing on another item which is stationary makes look like moving in opposite direction. Take for example an individual watching a windmill turning and also glancing at the stationary stand supporting it. The stand will appear to be moving in the opposite direction and this illusionary opposite direction movement constitute the motion after effect. This study report considers the role of such a visual effect in shaping the psychology of the viewer Self-regulatory process is also an important factor in the research. In this case, there are two possible scenarios which are either a failure or success. This is because a habit that somebody has formed on something over time requires consistent and repeated effort to do away with. There is a renewed desire and commitment to get out of it. Under this principle, strong self belief is paramount for an individual to succeed in his/her endeavors. Cognitive psychology deals in detailed explanation of how the mentality of people is configured. These include how people think, perceive ideas, their memory, and the learning process (Gochman, 1997). This research study will emphasize on the interrelationship of this cognitive science field and other disciplines like linguistic studies, philosophy, as well as neuroscience. The experiment captured these fields to establish a strong base for argument when developing the relationship among these variables and their influence in the cognitive features of an individual. This report takes a deeper investigation into the cause-effect relationship in the psychological makeup of a person and gender based differences in terms of such reactions (Martin, Haskard-Zolnierek & DiMatteo, 2010). The core issue of this investigation, evaluation, and deduction is to seek ways of improving the accuracy of decision making, memory enhancement, and a well-structured learner friendly curriculum. A number of health conditions experienced in the society arise out of such risky conducts and behavior like smoking, reckless driving, as well as engagement in unprotected sex. However, human beings have principles which have some influence and control on their behavior. Such conducts that compromise an individual’s life can always be eliminated through self-regulatory methods and/or health-improving behaviors. Such actions may include physical exercise, dental hygiene, good dietary or nutrition, and protection against the negative side of sexual engagement. Individuals may realize that some lifestyles they lead put them at the risk of contracting a dreaded infection and they will consequently refrain from engaging in such life threatening behaviors. The common denominator here is that a human being is rational and has a conscience to distinguish between good or even bad and thus take the most rewarding option. A person, therefore, exhibits behavioral changes in attempts to refrain from landing in danger. However, psychologists and other social scientists realized that this premise is not satisfactory and they came up with various models to determine the complex process of change. The proceeding part entails some of the processes of motivation and the self-regulatory procedures with the corresponding model of health behavior change. One example is that motivation is a factor known to instigate change. In this case, for instance, the perception of danger is a pre-requisite for the motivation to change. It is also worth noting that the expectations after change also play a significant role under this concept. . Human existent is constituted of various concepts of sociology and psychology as already introduced in the previous paragraph. It is important that these factors are discussed to increase the understanding man about the reaction of people in different environments and the cause of that. In that respect, the study of cognitive psychology comes in handy as one of the branches of psychology relevant in explaining the behaviors of human beings (Coner & Norman, 2007). A lot of laboratory tests have been carried out on this subject, and this paper will mainly give a report on the findings and the subsequent conclusion. Cognitive psychology deals in detailed explanation of how the mentality of people is configured. These include how people think, perceive ideas, their memory, and the learning process (Gochman, 1997). This research study will emphasize on the interrelationship of this cognitive science field and other disciplines like linguistic studies, philosophy, as well as neuroscience. The experiment captured these fields to establish a strong base for argument when developing the relationship among these variables and their influence in the cognitive features of an individual. This report takes a deeper investigation into the cause-effect relationship in the psychological makeup of a person and gender based differences in terms of such reactions (Martin, Haskard-Zolnierek & DiMatteo, 2010). The core issue of this investigation, evaluation, and deduction is to seek ways of improving the accuracy of decision making, memory enhancement, and a well-structured learner friendly curriculum. Experiment methodology to test the hypothesis on the topic This section will concentrate on the research design and methodology. The experiment involved a systematic application of research methods. This entails the selection of samples, identification of the dependent and independent variables. Cognitive psychology is an issue that touches on human being and as such the sample was obtained from persons within the population. Gender differences need also to be taken care of in this case since the psychological configuration of man and woman is slightly different. The items to be used in undertaking this experiment include a computer desktop and recording instrument like stationery. The number of participants involved was 136, which are 34 males and 102 females. The result is then tabulated for analysis and interpretation. Statistical tests of significance are of great use in this research. The most preferred statistical tool of testing the relationship among the variables under question is the t-test. Measures of central tendencies especially the mean will also be used. Use of t-test is relevant in proving the hypothesis and drawing conclusion as far as the cause-effect relationship between the dependent and explanatory variables. In this laboratory test, the effects of extraneous variables need to be captured and sieved out to remove errors in measurement and deductions. The experiment undertaken is for a practical determination of some of the psychological variables that define an individual. It should also be known that sociologists and psychology experts have not exhausted all the options and there is a need for further future studies. Conclusion The main health behavior models have similar predictors and top in the list is the perception of risk, perceived self-efficacy, and outcome expectancies (Simons-Morton, McLeroy & Wendel, 2012). On the other hand, actual behaviors and behavioral intentions act as the explained variables. Although the models are based on the assumption that there is an underlying motivation and breach of the process, most of the researchers only use a cross-section of the models which still leave a knowledge gap (Christensen, 2004). One important thing that also needs to be underlined is that the behavior of person is dependent on very many factors and therefore the models need to be scrutinized carefully and every cause is identified. References Ayers, S. (2007). Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine. Cambridge [etc.: Cambridge University Press. Ayers, S., & De, V. R. (2011). Psychology for medicine. Los Angeles [u.a.: SAGE. Christensen, A. J. (2004). Encyclopedia of health psychology. New York, NY [u.a.: Kluwer Academic [u.a.. Conner, M., & Norman, P. (2007). Predicting health behaviour: Research and practice with social cognition models. Maidenhead: Open Univ. Press. Contento, I. R. (2011). Nutrition education: Linking research, theory, and practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett. French, D. P. (2010). Health psychology. Oxford: BPS Blackwell. Gochman, D. S. (1988). Health behavior: Emerging research perspectives. New York: Plenum Press. Gochman, D. S. (1997). Personal and social determinants. New York [u.a.: Plenum Press. Martin, L. R., Haskard-Zolnierek, K. B., & DiMatteo, M. R. (2010). Health behavior change and treatment adherence: Evidence-based guidelines for improving healthcare. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Rice, V. H. (2000). Handbook of stress, coping, and health: Implications for nursing research, theory, and practice. Thousand Oaks, Calif [u.a.: Sage Publ. Shumaker, S. A., Ockene, J. K., & Riekert, K. A. (2009). The handbook of health behavior change. New York: Springer Pub. Co. Simons-Morton, B. G., McLeroy, K. R., & Wendel, M. L. (2012). Behavior theory in health promotion practice and research. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More