Behavior Change Training Research Articles

Counselling patients to make lifestyle changes: the role of physician self-efficacy, training and beliefs about causes.

Three factors that might help explain the extent to which physicians counsel patients to quit smoking and lose weight were examined: counselling self-efficacy, training in behaviour change and beliefs about causes of smoking and being overweight. More aggressive counselling was defined as counselling more patients per month and following up on counselling recommendations. Questionnaires were returned by 85 health maintenance organization physicians. As predicted, physicians with a stronger sense of counselling self-efficacy, and those who had received education in health behaviour change techniques were more aggressive counsellors. Motivational strategies were also explored. Physicians' beliefs about the causes of smoking and being overweight were related to the use of some types of strategies. Implications for increasing physician counselling patients to make behaviour changes are discussed.

An evaluation of biofeedback assessment and training paradigms

The present paper reviews areas which have hindered biofeedback progress during the past decade and should be addressed by future research. First, the six hypothetical models of how biofeedback results in efficacious outcomes are summarized. Second, the possible theories of psychophysiological response disregulation are reviewed. Third, the behavior change training and assessment issues involved in all biofeedback studies are articulated. Finally, a research paradigm for biofeedback investigation is proposed which, if used, could help to clarify whether acquisition of voluntary control of autonomic responses is possible and whether such control is effective in altering the course of a psychophysiological disorder.