Professor Thomas Webb
BA, MSc, PhD
School of Psychology
Professor of Psychology
Full contact details
School of Psychology
Floor G
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)
219 Portobello
91直播
S1 4DP
- Research interests
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Research interests
I am a social psychologist, interested in self-regulation and behaviour change. Specifically, I am interested in how people achieve their goals and make changes to their behaviour.
The usual answer is that people need to be motivated. However, . In short, and is likely paved with good intentions.
As a result, much of my research to date has investigated how the effects of motivation can be boosted by strategies such as , responding with self-compassion to lapses, or forming specific plans - known as "implementation intentions" - that link good opportunities to act with suitable responses to those opportunities.
Current research
I am part of the Leadership Team for (BR-UK, funded by the ESRC) and work with a number of organisations to understand behaviour in various contexts.
For example, I am interested in strategies for reducing single use plastics and am part of large multidisciplinary projects that bring together scientists from across the University with stakeholders across Europe. You can read more about our current project (Buddie Pack) and watch a video about the Many Happy Returns project .
I work with Purina to support dog owners to keep their pets healthy. You can download a free eBook describing how we are using behavioural science to tackle obesity in pets and hear me speculate about why the owners of pets may not protect them against fleas .
Click on the following links to hear me talk about my research on , , and .
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 209, 107815-107815.
- . Sustainability, 16(15).
- . Sustainability, 16(3), 1322-1322.
- . Conservation Biology.
- . PLoS ONE, 19(1).
- . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 203.
- . Journal of Cleaner Production, 380.
- . Journal of Cleaner Production, 363.
- . Emotion, 22(8), 1723-1738.
- . Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60.
- . Cognition and Emotion, 35(6), 1056-1084.
- . Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1688-1702.
- . Psychological Bulletin, 147(3), 233-267.
- . Psychology and Health.
- . Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198-229.
- . Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), 794-807.
- . European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 143-186.
- . PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN, 138(4), 775-808.
- . Behav Res Methods, 43(4), 953-963.
All publications
Journal articles
- . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 209, 107815-107815.
- . Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
- . Sustainability, 16(15).
- . Sustainability, 16(3), 1322-1322.
- . Conservation Biology.
- . PLoS ONE, 19(1).
- . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 203.
- . European Journal of Public Health, 33(Supplement 2).
- . Journal of Cleaner Production, 380.
- . Translational Behavioral Medicine.
- . Journal of Cleaner Production, 363.
- . Emotion, 22(8), 1723-1738.
- . Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60.
- . Cognition and Emotion, 35(6), 1056-1084.
- . Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 81, 144-157.
- . Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1688-1702.
- . Psychological Bulletin, 147(3), 233-267.
- . Heliyon, 7(3).
- . Journal of Research in Personality, 89.
- . Social Science & Medicine, 265.
- . Health Psychology Bulletin, 4(1), 39-52.
- . Clinical Psychology Review, 80.
- . Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 180.
- . Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22(8), 1079-1093.
- . British Journal of Health Psychology, 24(4), 970-981.
- . Translational Behavioral Medicine.
- . European Journal of Social Psychology.
- . Psychology and Health.
- . Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 40, 51-60.
- . Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 159, 227-231.
- . Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 159, 40-50.
- . Sleep.
- . Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53(2), 196-209.
- . Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 36, 71-80.
- . British Journal of Health Psychology, 23(1), 108-127.
- . Environment and Behavior, 50(4), 401-425.
- . PLoS One, 12(10).
- . Journal of Economic Psychology, 62, 33-49.
- . BMJ Open, 7(9), e016873-e016873.
- . Appetite, 116, 357-364.
- . BMJ Open, 7(6).
- . Psychological Medicine.
- . Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(4).
- . Psychology and Health.
- . British Journal of Health Psychology.
- . Frontiers in Psychology, 8.
- . Cognition and Emotion.
- . Frontiers in Psychology, 8.
- . Drugs & Aging, 34(2), 143-156.
- . Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
- . Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(9), 503-518.
- . Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(8), 1075-1091.
- . Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(6).
- . Health Psychology Review, 10(2), 187-203.
- . British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55(1), 69-90.
- . Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198-229.
- . Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(3), 409-418.
- . Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44(2), 129-139.
- . Trials, 16.
- . Current Opinion in Psychology, 5, 1-5.
- . PLoS ONE, 10(9).
- . Clinical Psychology Review, 39, 96-112.
- . Current Opinion in Psychology, 3, 6-10.
- . PLOS ONE, 10(3), e0119500-e0119500.
- . Appetite, 89, 265-273.
- . Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 123-129.
- . Cognition and Emotion, 29(2), 319-331.
- . Health Promotion International, 30(3), 756-768.
- . Front Hum Neurosci, 8, 376.
- . BMC Public Health, 14, 563.
- . Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
- . British Journal of Dermatology, 171(2), 332-337.
- . Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 228-238.
- . Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(1), 41-44.
- . Br J Soc Psychol, 53(3), 501-520.
- . Energy Policy.
- . Energy Policy.
- . Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), 794-807.
- Does prompting self-monitoring of physical activity engender behaviour change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, 28, 41-41.
- . Environment and Behavior, 47(2), 184-204.
- . Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 730-734.
- . BMC Public Health, 13, 107.
- . Behavior Modification, 37(3), 431-453.
- . Cogn Emot, 27(1), 133-140.
- . Health Psychology, 32(4), 433-438.
- . ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY, 220(3), 187-193.
- . European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 143-186.
- . Br J Dermatol, 167(5), 970-979.
- . PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN, 138(4), 775-808.
- Overcoming the behavioural impact of implicit attitudes. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, 27, 325-326.
- . Br J Soc Psychol, 51(1), 13-32.
- . Behav Res Methods, 43(4), 953-963.
- . Psychological Science, 22(7), 901-907.
- . J Consult Clin Psychol, 79(1), 123-128.
- . Br J Soc Psychol.
- METHODS Improving the student participant experience. PSYCHOLOGIST, 23(9), 732-733.
- Using the internet to promote health behaviour change: Developing a science of internet-based interventions. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, 25, 129-129.
- Does theoretical basis, use of behaviour change techniques, and mode of delivery influence the efficacy of internet-based interventions? A meta-analysis. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, 25, 131-131.
- . Addiction, 105(11), 1879-1892.
- . Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 36(5), 612-627.
- . J Med Internet Res, 12(1), e4.
- . Addiction, 105(11), 1897-1898.
- . Health Psychology Review, 4(2), 79-82.
- . Br J Soc Psychol, 48(Pt 3), 507-523.
- . Addiction, 104(11), 1805-1806.
- . PERS SOC PSYCHOL B, 35(7), 836-852.
- . Br J Soc Psychol, 47(Pt 3), 373-395.
- Public engagement. PSYCHOLOGIST, 21(8), 680-681.
- , 119-145.
- . SCI COMMUN, 29(2), 242-263.
- . LEARN INDIVID DIFFER, 17(4), 316-327.
- . J EXP SOC PSYCHOL, 43(2), 295-302.
- Implementation intentions: Strategic automatization of food choice, 329-343.
- . PSYCHOL BULL, 132(2), 249-268.
- . Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 31(1), 87-98.
- . Br J Soc Psychol, 44(Pt 1), 47-63.
- . EUR J SOC PSYCHOL, 35(1), 69-96.
- . EUR J SOC PSYCHOL, 34(4), 407-419.
- . International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 9(10), 424-427.
- . International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 9(10), 429-438.
- . J Adv Nurs, 41(6), 561-574.
- . J EXP SOC PSYCHOL, 39(3), 279-286.
- . Palliat Med, 16(5), 386-394.
- . Palliat Med, 16(5), 375-385.
- . Palliat Med, 16(4), 285-296.
- . Palliative Medicine, 13(6), 511-512.
- . Wellcome Open Research, 9, 656-656.
- . Sustainability, 15(19), 14560-14560.
- . Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.
- . Sustainability, 15(11), 8857-8857.
- Exploring Attitudes towards More Sustainable Dentistry among Adults Living in the UK. British Dental Journal.
- . British Journal of Social Psychology.
- . Psychology & Health, 1-20.
- . Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8.
- . International Journal of Social Robotics.
Chapters
- , Communications in Computer and Information Science (pp. 103-109). Springer Nature Switzerland
- , The Handbook of Behavior Change (pp. 537-553). Cambridge University Press
- , Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 2006-2008). Springer International Publishing
- , Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 2003-2005). Springer International Publishing
- , Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1994-1996). Springer International Publishing
- Oxford University Press
- The Road to Hell An Overview of Research on the Intention-Behavior Gap, PSYCHOLOGY OF THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE (pp. 473-496).
- Self-help treatments and stepped care In Emmelkamp P & Ehring T (Ed.), The Wiley Handbook of Anxiety Disorders (pp. 1242-1255). London: Wiley.
- , Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1748-1750). Springer New York
- , Goal-Directed Behavior (pp. 175-202).
- Psychology Press
Conference proceedings papers
- Many Happy Returns: Combining Environmental, Technological and Behavioural Sciences to Understand What Is Required to Make Reusable Packaging Sustainable. The AIChE Annual Meeting
- . Creative Circular Economy Approaches to Eliminate Plastics Waste (pp 86-91). https://www.ukcpn.co.uk/news/plastics-research-and-innovation-fund-conference-academic-papers/?utm_c, 8 June 2020 - 9 June 2020.
- . Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems: 19th Annual Conference, TAROS 2018, Bristol, UK July 25-27, 2018, Proceedings, Vol. 10965 LNAI (pp 453-454), 25 July 2018 - 27 July 2018.
- . Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems: 19th Annual Conference, TAROS 2018, Bristol, UK July 25-27, 2018, Proceedings, Vol. 10965 LNAI (pp 484-485), 25 July 2018 - 27 July 2018.
- INCREASING ENGAGEMENT WITH, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF, A BRIEF ONLINE INTERVENTION TO REDUCE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE, Vol. 25 (pp S156-S156)
- Can a multifaceted intervention including motivational interviewing improve medication adherence, quality of life and mortality rates in older patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery?. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR NURSING, Vol. 16 (pp S1-S2)
- Implementation intentions, planning and behaviour change: Proposals for the way forward. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, Vol. 28 (pp 56-56)
- Embedding implementation intentions in social anxiety self-help for vitiligo. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, Vol. 27 (pp 129-129)
- Self-affirmation increases threat-related affect following a health message. PSYCHOL HEALTH, Vol. 23 (pp 114-114)
- Using implementation intentions to improve neuropsychological function in schizotypy. SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN, Vol. 33(2) (pp 519-519)
- Comparing interventions: A meta-analysis of effects on intention and behaviour. PSYCHOL HEALTH, Vol. 21 (pp 161-161)
- . Population Medicine, Vol. 5(Supplement)
- Robot Companions For Citizens: Roadmapping The Potential For Future Robots In Empowering Older People. BRAID (Bridging Research in Ageing and ICT Development) Final Conference, 29 May 2012.
Reports
- Behaviour change techniques for telephone-delivered and supported health coaching interventions: an Evidence Check review brokered by the Sax Institute (www.saxinstitute.org.au) for Healthdirect Australia
Theses / Dissertations
- Attitudes towards social robots and how they are affected by direct and indirect contact with a humanoid social robot.
- Using the Internet to Train Clinicians to Use Evidence-Based Psychologically-Informed Interventions, Including 鈥業f-Then鈥 Planning.
Dictionary/encyclopaedia entries
- . In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- . In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- . In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- . In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- . In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
Preprints
- Research group
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Current postgraduate students
- Poppy James
- Xavier McNally
- Michael Pan
- Laurynas Rutkauskas
- Alisha Suhag
- Grants
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- 2023 - 2028: (BR-UK)
- 2022-2026: Business-driven systemic solutions for sustainable plastic packaging reuse schemes in mass market applications ()
- Teaching activities
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I teach social psychology at Level 1 (PSY1001) and Level 2 (PSY2001) and supervise Undergraduate research projects (PSY346) and MSc projects (PSY6009 / PSY6110 / PSY6233)
- Professional activities and memberships
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I am currently Associate Editor for and am on the Editorial Boards of:
I was formerly Associate Editor at the (2018-2019), the (2010-2014) and (2016-2017).
- PhD Opportunities
I am not currently accepting applications for PhD study.
We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on
For further information, please see the department PhD Opportunities page.