The taxonomy of behavior change techniques (BCT) is a system that organizes different methods to help people change their behavior. It’s like a big list of ways to help you make better choices. Each item on the list is called a BCT and is a small thing that can help you change your behavior. For example, setting a goal or demonstrating a behavior are BCTs (Michie et al., 2013).
Having this list is helpful because it makes it easier for scientists and professionals to study and compare different methods. They can use the same language to talk about the methods and make sure they’re using them in the same way. The BCTs are grouped together in categories, making it easier to find the one you need.
Experts from all over the world helped make this list, so it’s very comprehensive. It has been used in many studies and has been shown to be reliable and helpful (Michie et al., 2015). You can find the list on a website or smartphone app that also provides training and support for using it (www.bct-taxonomy.com).
Michie, S., Wood, C., Johnston, M., Abraham, C., Francis, J., & Hardeman, W. (2015). Behavior change techniques: The development and evaluation of a taxonomic method for reporting and describing behavior change interventions. Health Technology Assessment, 19(99). https://doi.org/10.3310/hta19990.
Michie, S., Richardson, M., Johnston, M., Abraham, C., Francis, J., Hardeman, W., Eccles, M. P., Cane, J., & Wood, C. E. (2013). The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) of 93 Hierarchically Clustered Techniques: Building an International Consensus for the Reporting of Behavior Change Interventions. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 46(1), 81–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9486-6
