Table 4

Domains and definitions of the Theoretical Domains Framework

DomainDefinition
1. KnowledgeAn awareness of the existence of something
2. SkillsAn ability or proficiency acquired through practice
3. Social/professional role and identityA coherent set of behaviours and displayed personal qualities of an individual in a social or work setting
4. Beliefs about capabilitiesAcceptance of the truth, reality or validity about an ability, talent, or facility that a person can put to constructive use
5. OptimismThe confidence that things will happen for the best or that desired goals will be attained
6. Beliefs about ConsequencesAcceptance of the truth, reality or validity about outcomes of a behaviour in a given situation
7. ReinforcementIncreasing the probability of a response by arranging a dependent relationship, or contingency, between the response and a given stimulus
8. IntentionsA conscious decision to perform a behaviour or a resolve to act in a certain way
9. GoalsMental representations of outcomes or end states that an individual wants to achieve
10. Memory, attention and decision processesThe ability to retain information, focus selectively on aspects of the environment and choose between two or more alternatives
11. Environmental context and resourcesAny circumstance of a person’s situation or environment that discourages or encourages the development of skills and abilities, independence, social competence and adaptive behaviour
12. Social influencesThose interpersonal processes that can cause individuals to change their thoughts, feelings or behaviours
13. EmotionA complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioural and physiological elements, by which the individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event
14. Behavioural regulationAnything aimed at managing or changing objectively observed or measured actions
  • Adapted from Cane et al70 under creative commons attribution licence CC BY 2.0.