In one line: Behaviour changes through what we experience and learn — not just through biology.
Behavioural change is why a nervous first-time cook becomes confident, or a snoozer becomes an early riser. The behaviour shifts because learning has reshaped it.
This is the concept of change seen from the outside: instead of asking what changed in the brain, we ask how the behaviour itself was learned or re-learned.
Memory hook: Behaviour is learned — so it can be re-learned. That's the hopeful heart of behavioural change.
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Key idea: Behaviour changes in three main ways — learning links, building habits, and shaping with consequences.
How behaviour changes
Learning (conditioning)
We link cues and outcomes. A phone buzz linked to reward makes us check it — classical and operant conditioning at work.
Habit formation
Repeat an action in the same situation and it becomes automatic — brushing teeth, checking a feed on waking.
Behaviour modification
Deliberately using rewards and consequences to change behaviour — e.g. a sticker chart, or rewarding gym visits.
Learn a link · Build a habit · Shape with consequences
Take someone building a running habit. Conditioning: they link running with feeling good afterwards. Habit formation: running at the same time daily makes it automatic. Behaviour modification: they reward each run to keep going. The behaviour changes for good.
Go further — higher-level insight: Behavioural change explains treatment. Therapies for phobias (gradual exposure) and habits (replacing cues and rewards) work by re-learning behaviour — proof that behaviour learned one way can be changed another.
See how examiners mark answers
Access past paper questions with model answers. Learn exactly what earns marks and what doesn't.
How this is tested: Change is one of the six concepts, and 'how could you change this behaviour?' is a favourite Section B / applied prompt. Name the learning route and how it works — don't just say 'they'd get used to it'.
As the school psychologist, explain how the principles of behavioural change could be used to help students build a regular reading habit.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Common mistakes: 1. Vague 'they'd get used to it'. Name the route (habit, reinforcement).
2. No application. Tie each route to the actual behaviour.
3. Ignoring the concept. Frame it as behavioural change.