Learning That Moves: Advancing Equity in United States Based Conservation

Like many sectors, research and academic acronyms can seem like alphabet soup. Below is a glossary of some of the key terms and definitions for the framework¹

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KEY TERMS & DEFINITIONS!

Capability

Opportunity

Capability, in the context of COM-B, refers to whether we have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to engage in a behavior. This comprises psychological capability, including mental states, knowledge, and skills, as well as physical capability. For example, to make an individual feel capable of performing a behavior or achieving an outcome, implementing a training session to help support learning may boost feelings of capability.
Opportunity, in the context of COM-B, refers to external factors that make the execution of a behavior possible. Physical opportunity, opportunities provided by the environment, and social opportunity are all valid components. For example, to create the opportunity to begin performing a behavior like new dietary patterns, free nutrition classes might help.

Motivation

Motivation, in the context of COM-B, refers to the internal processes that influence decision-making and behavior. According to the model, two main components are reflective motivation (the reflective process involved in making plans) and automatic motivation (automatic processes such as impulses and inhibition). For example, to improve motivation, it may be helpful to turn a desired behavior from something one needs to do to something one wants to do, encouraging reflection on the benefits of performing that behavior.

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More Detailed Definitions

Behavior change interventions: 

Coordinated sets of activities designed to change specified behavior patterns. The patterns may be measured with respect to the incidence of behaviors in specified populations; for example, a behavior change intervention might target a particular high-smoking population to try to decrease daily cigarette intake.

Behavior Change Wheel (BCW): 

A framework designed to aid intervention designers in moving from a behavioral analysis of a problem to an evidence-based intervention method. This framework allows designers to identify intervention functions and policy categories that can bring about change.

Intervention functions:

The broad categories of strategies used to bring about behavior change, as identified in the Behavior Change Wheel. These functions include education, persuasion, incentivization, coercion, training, restriction, environmental restructuring, and modeling. Each function targets different aspects of capability, opportunity, and motivation to effectively influence behavior.

Reflective motivation: 

The conscious processes that influence behavior, including planning, decision-making, and evaluating the consequences of actions. In the COM-B model, reflective motivation plays a critical role in guiding deliberate behaviors, as individuals weigh the pros and cons before taking action.

Automatic motivation: 

The unconscious processes that drive behavior, such as habits, impulses, and emotional responses. This aspect of motivation operates without deliberate thought and often influences behaviors that are habitual or driven by immediate emotional responses.

Physical opportunity: 

The environmental factors that make a behavior possible. This includes the physical presence of resources, tools, or spaces needed to perform a behavior. For example, access to a gym or availability of healthy food options can create the physical opportunity for someone to engage in regular exercise or healthy eating.

Social opportunity: 

The influence of one’s social network, cultural norms, and interpersonal relationships on behavior. It includes the support, encouragement, or pressure from others that can either facilitate or hinder the adoption of a particular behavior.

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References

1. Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation science : IS, 6, 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42 ↩︎