Work

Better sorry than safe: Making a Plan B reduces effectiveness of implementation intentions in healthy eating goals

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Implementation intentions (if-then plans) are helpful to health behaviour change. As these plans specify only one goal-directed behaviour for one specific situation, however, their effectiveness may be limited when a planned behaviour is impossible to execute in situ. The present research examines whether and how planning more than one goal-directed response for the same situation ('making a Plan B') affects successful self-regulation of eating behaviour. DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In Study 1, participants formulated either one or two plans, after which a lexical decision task was administered to assess association strength between the if-part and the then-part(s). In Study 2, the effect of making one, two or no plan(s) was assessed on actual eating behaviour, after which a Stroop task measured cognitive load as an additional explanatory mechanism. RESULTS: Study 1 revealed that making a Plan B disrupts the creation of strong if-then associations during plan formation. Study 2 showed that making a Plan B yields increased unhealthy food intake compared to making one or no plan, and induces greater cognitive load during plan enactment. CONCLUSION: Making a Plan B interferes with essential cognitive processes during different stages of planning, leading to an increased likelihood of self-regulatory failure.

Source: Psychology and Health

DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2014.997730

Authors: Charlotte D.W. Vinkers, Marieke A. Adriaanse, Floor M. Kroese, Denise T.D. de Ridder

Institution: Utrecht University

Language: English

Topic: Behavioral Health and Interventions

Subfield: Applied Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: ZonMw