Application of Behavior Change Theory to the Development

REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE
1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE
3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED
BEHAVIOR CHANGE THEORY
Form Approved
OMB No. 0704-0188
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4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS
Application of Behavior Change Theory to the Development of an
Enhanced California Negligent Operator Treatment and Evaluation System
6. AUTHOR(S)
Robert A. Roberts
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
REPORT NUMBER
California Department of Motor Vehicles
Research and Development Section
P.O. Box 932382
Sacramento, CA 94232-3820
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
California Office of Traffic Safety
7000 Franklin Blvd., Suite 440
Sacramento, CA 95823-1899
11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)
14. SUBJECT TERMS
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
OF REPORT
NSN 7540-01-280-5500
November 2002
18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
OF THIS PAGE
19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
OF ABSTRACT
CAL-DMV-RSS-02-199
10. SPONSORING/MONITORING
AGENCY REPORT NUMBER
12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE
Through this critical review of the literature and evaluation of warning letter contents, the foundation
has been set for the development of an enhanced negligent-operator treatment and evaluation system
(ENOTES) for California. Criteria to evaluate the treatment letters were developed from the 16 components
of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change that, incidentally, incorporates the majority of the
recommendations made by traffic safety researchers over the past 50 years. The evaluated studies were
tabulated by the strength of the evidence supporting each treatment in terms of the quality of the research
and the validity of the methods as defined by the degree to which they reflected components of the TTM.
Overall, the research designs were outstanding. However, the warning letters themselves were
weaker, and generally not strongly tied to a theory of behavior change. On average, 2.5 of the six General
Stage, 1.8 of the five Early Stage, and 0.29 of the five Late Stage TTM elements were utilized. No balanced
treatment letters were identified that incorporated the majority of the TTM elements available from all three
stages. A definite opportunity exists to strengthen the effectiveness of letter treatments through intelligent
use of the TTM
behavior change theory, negligent operators, NOTES, warning letters,
program evaluation, TTM, transtheoretical model
Final Report
TR0009
15. NUMBER OF PAGES
104
16. PRICE CODE
Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified None
20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
Standard Form 298 (2-89)
Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39-18
298-102