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.