Understanding Mechanisms of Health Behavior Change

This research seeks to examine psychological factors that may impact relationship between incentives and health behavior engagement, specifically fruit and vegetable consumption. Additionally, it will compare the impact of two different incentive schedules on behavior engagement, one providing immediate rewards (i.e. rewards received on a daily basis) and another providing delayed rewards (i.e. rewards received at the end of the study period), with a control condition in which no rewards are offered. Study participants will provide reports of their fruit and vegetable consumption each day for three weeks, and in the two incentive conditions, they will receive small monetary rewards for their fruit and vegetable consumption. Following the three week reporting and reward period, participants will complete two additional assessments, measuring psychological constructs and behavior engagement following the cessation of rewards. The study will also examine how cognitive and anthropomorphic factors may contribute to intervention response and the effects on psychological constructs.