THE EFFECTS OF SALIENT NUDGING IN TECHNOLOGY-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A LONGITUDINAL FIELD EXPERIMENT

Abstract

To promote physical activity, the use of ‘technology-based interventions’ is becoming more ubiquitous. However, recent research reported conflicting results on how they affect physical activity. A potential explanation is their delivery or the insufficient tailoring thereof. As the interventions become more sophisticated in design, there exist new opportunities to tailor their communications, such as using ‘salient nudges’ where their components are modified in subtle yet targeted ways that guide users’ choices. In response, this thesis introduces and tests a framework for the effects of salient nudging in technology-based interventions. The framework proposes how access to different intervention functionalities can be modified to match and influence individual self-determined motivations for physical activity. A prototype intervention based on the framework was developed and tested in a field experiment. Findings revealed a significant treatment effect on the likelihood of developing more self-determined motivations, especially for users with initially weak or strong motivations.