Behaviourist Approaches

• Positive reinforcement in the context of health -> pleasure from brain chemicals means activity is repeated. Also pleasure from inactivity reinforces unhealthy behaviour.
• Negative reinforcement in the context of health -> feelings of guilt avoided by exercising means exercising is rewarding.
• Role of cues -> stimuli (cues) that are associated with pleasure of healthy and unhealthy behaviours become rewarding in themselves. E.g. exercise kit, lighter.
• Using positive reinforcement to promote healthy behaviour -> external reinforcement, other feedback (e.g. praise) for healthy behaviour. Self talk, achieving targets - tailored to the individual.
• Using negative reinforcement to promote health behaviour -> behave normally to avoid unpleasant feelings (e.g. guilt).
• Using punishment to promote healthy behaviour -> giving negative feedback (telling off) for unhealthy behaviour, less effective than reinforcement.
• Evaluation of behavioural approach to health (positives) -> practical uses (tokens given to hospital inpatients to positively reinforce physical activity, exchanged for treats), support for effectiveness.
• Evaluation of behavioural approach to health (negatives) -> limited use (narrow range of behaviours because real-world rewards can take a long time to appear.)