Dr Christopher Armitage PhD, BA

Address:
University of Sheffield
Sheffield S10 2TP
Tel: (+44) 0114 22 26626
Fax: (+44) 0114 27 66515
Email: c.j.armitage@sheffield.ac.uk
Room: 2-26
Qualifications
PhD, University of Leeds; BA (Hons), University of Wales, Swansea
Teaching and administrative duties
I teach on PSY101 ("Introduction to Psychology"), PSY110 ("Social Understanding, Social Communication, Social Places"), PSY242 ("Social and Health Psychology"), PSY249 ("Developmental Psychology and Individual Differences")
I am also Director of Teaching for Psychology and undertake the following duties:
- DClinPsy Course/Exam Boards
- Sci Student Disciplinary Committee
- Sci Teaching Committees
- Uni Enhancement and Strategy Sub-committee
In addition, I sit on the committees below:
- Psychology Management Group
- Psychology Teaching Committee
Research Interests - Social Psychology
My principal research interests are in predicting and changing health behaviour using theories and models developed in social, health and clinical psychology.
Modelling health behaviours
I have used the theory of planned behaviour, prototype willingness model, multidimensional health locus of control, self-determination theory, social identity theory, transtheoretical model of change as well as a range of potential additions to these models (e.g. self identity, moral norm, affect, past behaviour, attitudinal ambivalence) to predict a range of health behaviours and to identify patterns of health beaviour change.
Interventions
I have also used concepts from Gollwitzer's model of action phases, the theory of planned behaviour, Taylor's process/outcome simulations, personalised feedback and self-affirmation theory to design and implement interventions to change health behaviour.
Although I have particular expertise in the domain of food choice, I have also conducted research into:
- Exercise,
- Parasuicide,
- Drug and alcohol use,
- Safe sex,
- Driver behaviour,
- Cigarette smoking and
- Health screening.
Grants
- March 2011-February 2014, Technology Strategy Board (Hawley PI & Armitage + 18 others, mainly University of Sheffield), “Overcoming barriers to mainstreaming of Assisted Living Technologies”: £1,576,504.
- March 2011-September 2011, Alcohol Education Research Council (Arden PI & Armitage), “An on-product self-affirmation intervention to promote alcohol consumption within government recommended guidelines”: £5,000
- March 2011-September 2011, British Renal Society (Farrington PI & Armitage + 4 others, mainly Hertfordshire University), “Piloting a novel intervention for improving phosphate control in non-adherent haemodialysis patients”: £28,565
- January 2011-June 2011, University of Sheffield Knowledge Transfer Fund (Rowe PI, Norman, Harris, and Armitage University of Sheffield; Claire Molyneux, Sheffield City Council), “Safety Drive: A theoretically driven intervention for risk‐taking in young drivers”: £9,479.
Activities and Distinctions
- "Highly Cited Article" (in the top 1% within its field) award from Web of Knowledge for Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40: 471-499. To October 2011 it had been cited over 1000 times, making it the second highest citation count in the history of the journal.
- Reviewer for several national (Economic and Social Research Council, National Health Service Executive, Breast Cancer Campaign and Chief Scientist Office for Scotland) and international (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO, the Dutch research council), New Zealand Oncology Trust) funding bodies.
- On the Editorial board of "Health Psychology" and "Psychology, Sport and Exercise"
- Associate Editor of Psychology and Health.
- Regular reviewer for numerous journals, including several APA journals: Health Psychology; Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology of Addictive Behaviors; Rehabilitation Psychology; and Review of General Psychology.
- Associate Editor for the British Journal of Psychology
Invited Talks
- Member of the British Psychological Society’s Research Board, September 2001-September 2004.
- Organised the British Psychological Society Division of Health Psychology conference in Sheffield 4 - 6 September 2002.
- Sat on the British Psychological Society Division of Health Psychology conference scientific committee February 2002-September 2004.
- Reviewer for several national (Economic and Social Research Council, National Health Service Executive, Breast Cancer Campaign and Chief Scientist Office for Scotland) and international (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO, the Dutch research council), New Zealand Oncology Trust) funding bodies.
- Editorial board of Health Psychology Update (1997-2003).
- Associate Editor of Psychology and Health.
- Regular reviewer for numerous journals, including several APA journals: Health Psychology; Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology of Addictive Behaviors; Rehabilitation Psychology; and Review of General Psychology.
- Associate Editor for the British Journal of Psychology
Key Publications
Armitage, C. J., Harris, P. R., & Arden, M. A. (2011). Evidence that self-affirmation reduces alcohol consumption: Randomized exploratory trial with a new, brief means of self-affirming. Health Psychology, 30, 633-641.
Armitage, C. J. (2010). Can variables from the transtheoretical model predict dietary change? Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 33, 264-273.
Armitage, C. J. (2009). Effectiveness of experimenter-provided and self-generated implementation intentions to reduce alcohol consumption in a sample of the general population: A randomized exploratory trial. Health Psychology, 28, 545-553. (abstract)
Armitage, C. J. & Arden, M. A. (2008). How useful are the stages of change for targeting interventions? Randomized test of a brief intervention to reduce smoking. Health Psychology, 27, 789-798. (abstract)
Armitage, C. J. (2008). A volitional help sheet to encourage smoking cessation: A randomized exploratory trial. Health Psychology, 27, 557-566. (abstract)
Armitage, C. J., Harris, P. R., Hepton, G., & Napper, L. (2008). Self-affirmation increases acceptance of health-risk information among UK adult smokers with low socioeconomic status. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 22, 88-95. (abstract)
Armitage, C. J. (2007). Efficacy of a brief worksite intervention to reduce smoking: The roles of behavioral and implementation intentions. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12, 376-390. (abstract)
Elliott, M. A., & Armitage, C. J. (2006). Effects of implementation intentions on the self-reported frequency of drivers' compliance with speed limits. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 12, 108-117.
ARMITAGE, C. J. (2006). Evidence that implementation intentions promote transitions through the stages of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74: 141-151.
ARMITAGE, C. J. (2005). Can the theory of planned behaviour predict the maintenance of physical activity? Health Psychology, 24: 235-245.
ARMITAGE, C. J. (2004). Evidence that implementation intentions reduce dietary fat intake: A randomized trial. Health Psychology, 23: 319–323.
ARMITAGE, C. J., SHEERAN, P., CONNER, M., and ARDEN, M. A. (2004). Stages of change or changes of stage? Predicting transitions in transtheoretical model stages in relation to healthy food choice. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72: 491-499.
ELLIOTT, M. A., ARMITAGE, C. J., and BAUGHAN, C. J. (2003). Drivers´ compliance with speed limits: An application of the theory of planned behaviour. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88: 964-972.
View a full list of Chris Armitage's publications.
Postgraduate Students
- Sarah Gorst - PhD student funded by the Technology Strategy Board
- Fatma Azab - PhD student funded by the Libyan People's Bureau
- Daphne Kaklamanou - PhD Student
- Soud Alganem - PhD Student funded by Kuwait University
- Wirdawati Abdul Rahim - PhD Student funded by the Malaysian Ministry of Health
