Habit, information acquisition, and the prediction of travel mode choice behavior

Abstract

Three studies examined the role of habit in travel mode choices. Habit was measured by using mental representations of activities that may include the target behavior. Using behavioral process-tracing paradigms, it was found that habit attenuates not only the elaborateness of information acquisition concerning the attributes of choice options, but also basic features in the appreciation of the choice situation. In a field study, it was found that actual travel mode choices were predicted by behavioral intentions only when habit was weak. Attempts to influence the elaborateness of habitual decision-making were not or only temporarily effective.