Factors Influencing the Decision to Act A number of factors influence the progression from intention to action. - Certain versus probabilistic outcomes. The cost of adopting a new behavior is obvious and "certain": it takes time, it costs money, it involves inconvenience. The benefits, in contrast, may be hypothetical: with screening, there is only a possibility that the hazard (e.g, colorectal cancer) will ever appear.
- Salience. The way in which a hazard is “framed” impacts the attention that an individual gives to it. For example, discussing a procedure in terms of survival, as opposed to mortality, results in different choices.
- Time dependency of costs and benefits. Time dependency refers to how quickly a cost or a benefit will manifest. Research reveals that short-term consequences may weigh more heavily than long-term effects in making decisions.
- Direct influence on the decision to act. When the subject matter is particularly complicated, information is difficult to obtain, the experience with the hazard is limited, and/or the cost of acting is relatively small, decisions may be made based on the opinions and behavior of others
- The role of emotions. Emotions such as fear and worry are powerful in their ability to focus attention on a given hazard and to personalize the risk of that hazard. Emotions can affect behavior modifications positively or negatively.
|
