The DOI matches its Crossref record; 167 of the 168 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes
Open accessOverview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Also, as reviewed by Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006), adapting specific implementation intentions (“if-then”-plans rather than overall goal intentions) may have a strong effect on goal attainment.”
From How Study Environments Foster Academic Procrastination: Overview and Recommendations (2020) · cites this paper as Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006
In the citing paper
“For women with, or at risk of GDM, bridging this intention–behaviour gap is likely to require specific action planning alongside concise, credible and condition‐relevant guidance [53, 54].”
From Preconception Perceptions, Knowledge and Behaviours of Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Qualitative Study (2026) · cites this paper as [53]
In the citing paper
“One encourages people to form realistic, concrete plans for how to implement their new health-related goals in specific situations (Gollwitzer & Sheeran 2006).”
From The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention (2014) · cites this paper as Gollwitzer & Sheeran 2006
In the citing paper
“Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006) found that implementation intentions had a positive effect on improving goal attainment in terms of achievements, relationships, and health, with a medium to large effect size [Cohen' d = 0.65 (95% CI = 0.6, 0.7)].”
From A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions on Goal Attainment (2021) · cites this paper as Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006)
In the citing paper
“Studies show that implementing study intentions and plans enhances self-regulation and performance (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006;Schwinger & Otterpohl, 2017).”
From The Potential of Exam Wrappers in Higher Education Assessment Practice: Fostering Self-Efficacy Through Guided Self-Reflection (2025) · cites this paper as Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006
In the citing paper
“we synthesized the evidence across these studies, as implementation intentions are considered a domain‐general self‐regulation strategy applicable to a wide range of goals.”
From The effectiveness of implementation intentions in children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006
In the citing paper
“As recently reported in a meta-analysis, implementation intentions facilitate the attainment of all kinds of goals (e.g., academic, health, and interpersonal goals; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
From Implementation Intentions Facilitate Response Inhibition in Children with ADHD (2008) · cites this paper as Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006
Citations
Cites
The theory of planned behavior
Ajzen, I. (1991) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-t · Cited by 90,587
Self-efficacy: The exercise of control
Bandura, A., Freeman, W. H., & Lightsey, R. (1999) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.13.2.158 · Cited by 46,835
(1975) · PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) · Cited by 36,737
Self-efficacy: the exercise of control
(1997) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.35-1826 · Cited by 24,451
(1964) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 10,439
Wasserman, S. S., Hedges, L. V., & Olkin, I. (1988) · Journal of Educational Statistics · doi:10.2307/1164953 · Cited by 10,377
Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A meta‐analytic review
Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466601164939 · Cited by 9,970 · cited 1×
“Although accumulated research supports this idea (e.g., Armitage & Conner, 2001; Sheeran, 2002; Sutton, 1998), there is also contrary evidence that gives credence to the proverb that ‘‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’’ (Orbell & Sheeran, 1998; Sheeran, 2002).”
ResultCohen, J. (1992) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155 · Cited by 8,771
(1999) · Cited by 6,308
Loewenstein, G. F., Weber, E. U., Hsee, C. K., & Welch, N. (2001) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.267 · Cited by 5,955
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Gollwitzer, 1990, Action phases and mindsets, Vol. 2, 53
- Mischel, 1978, Effective plans for self‐control in children, Vol. 11, 199
- Shah, 2003, Goal systems theory: Integrating the cognitive and motivational aspects of self‐regulation. A goal systems approach to self‐regulation, Vol. 9, 247
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–400 of 3,241
Hedonic Eating Goals and Emotion: When Sadness Decreases the Desire to Indulge
Salerno, A. G., Laran, J., & Janiszewski, C. A. (2014) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/675299 · Cited by 103
Non-face-to-face physical activity interventions in older adults: a systematic review
Müller, A. M., & Khoo, S. (2014) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/1479-5868-11-35 · Cited by 99
“Though, a considerable number of research studies have shown that changes in motivational constructs do not necessarily lead to actual behavior [50,51].”
BackgroundEntrepreneurship education pedagogy: teacher-student-centred paradox
Ismail, A. B., Sawang, S., & Zolin, R. (2018) · Education + Training · doi:10.1108/et-07-2017-0106 · Cited by 102
Motivation and Volition in the Course of Action
Achtziger, A., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2018) · Motivation and Action · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-65094-4_12 · Cited by 104
Self-citationGender differences in social cognitive determinants of exercise adoption
Hankonen, N. E., Absetz, P., Ghisletta, P., Renner, B., & Uutela, A. K. (2009) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870440902736972 · Cited by 108
“…change Central factors facilitating adoption of new behaviours are a person’s confidence in being capable of making the necessary changes and her/his actual skills in controlling or regulating behaviour (Bandura, 1997; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; Sniehotta, Schwarzer, Scholz, & Schüz, 2005b).”
BackgroundBargh, J. A., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy001008 · Cited by 105
Self-citationMulti-Process Action Control in Physical Activity: A Primer
Rhodes, R. E. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797484 · Cited by 111
Successfully leaving work at work: The self-regulatory underpinnings of psychological detachment
Smit, B. W. (2016) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12137 · Cited by 98
Describing the Process of Adopting Nutrition and Fitness Apps: Behavior Stage Model Approach
König, L. M., Sproesser, G., Schupp, H. T., & Renner, B. (2018) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.8261 · Cited by 98
“A great body of research suggests (1) that there are important gaps between intending to act and carrying out this intention, and (2) that helping people develop specific implementation plans that spell out the when, where, and how of goal striving in advance can reduce these barriers [83,84].”
BackgroundLeveraging Social Science to Generate Lasting Engagement with Climate Change Solutions
Goldberg, M. H., Gustafson, A., & van der Linden, S. (2020) · One Earth · doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.011 · Cited by 108
Motivation und Volition im Handlungsverlauf
Achtziger, A., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2010) · Springer-Lehrbuch · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-12693-2_12 · Cited by 98
Self-citationCommitting to implementation intentions: Attention and memory effects for selected situational cues
Achtziger, A., Bayer, U. C., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2011) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-011-9261-6 · Cited by 110
“…research has only addressed the following features of the super-ordinate goal intention as potential moderators of implementation intention effects (Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006): the strength of the superordinate goal intention (e.g., Sheeran et al. 2005, Study 1) and whether or not the…”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationJohnson, S. L., Elliott, M. V., & Carver, C. S. (2020) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.08.018 · Cited by 90
Reduced self-expansion in current romance and interest in relationship alternatives
VanderDrift, L. E., Lewandowski, G., & Agnew, C. R. (2010) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/0265407510382321 · Cited by 102
“When processing automatically, individuals’ attention focuses toward goal-relevant stimuli to the exclusion of goal-irrelevant stimuli (see Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundTechniques for modifying impulsive processes associated with unhealthy eating: A systematic review.
van Beurden, S. B., Greaves, C. J., Smith, J. R., & Abraham, C. (2016) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/hea0000337 · Cited by 96
Vogt, F., Hall, S. L., & Marteau, T. M. (2008) · Nicotine & Tobacco Research · doi:10.1080/14622200802239280 · Cited by 96
Verhoeven, A. A. C., Adriaanse, M. A., de Vet, E., Fennis, B. M., & de Ridder, D. T. D. (2014) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2014.950658 · Cited by 95
“…effectiveness of implementation intentions is impressive (e.g. Bélanger-Gravel, Godin, & Amireault, 2013; Fennis, Adriaanse, Stroebe, & Pol, 2011; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; Webb, Sheeran, & Luszczynska, 2009), including promoting new behaviours, such as eating more fruit and vegetables (e.g.…”
BackgroundConner, M., & Higgins, A. R. (2010) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0020317 · Cited by 95
The Rubicon Theory of War: How the Path to Conflict Reaches the Point of No Return
Johnson, D. D. P., & Tierney, D. (2011) · International Security · doi:10.1162/isec_a_00043 · Cited by 95
Reducing fat intake using implementation intentions: A meta‐analytic review
Vilà, I., Bosch, I. C., & Palomo, R. R. (2017) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12230 · Cited by 94
From Strategy to Action: Transforming Organizational Goals into Organizational Behavior
Gagné, M. (2018) · International Journal of Management Reviews · doi:10.1111/ijmr.12159 · Cited by 145
“61 (Cohen 1992; Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006), just as strategic plans have been shown to significantly influence the financial success of businesses (Schwenk and Shrader 1993).”
InfluentialSmit, K., de Brabander, C. J., Boekaerts, M., & Martens, R. L. (2017) · International Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2017.01.006 · Cited by 102
“…students in motivational strategies increases their use of such strategies and subsequently has more impact on their motivational outcomes 128 (Bembenutty & Zimmerman, 2003; Boekaerts & Corno, 2005; Dignath & Buttner, 2008; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; Kramarski & Mizrachi, 2006; Kuhl, 2000).”
BackgroundHypocrisy, dissonance and the self-regulation processes that improve health
Stone, J., & Focella, E. S. (2011) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298868.2010.538550 · Cited by 94
“People are also more likely to initiate new health behavior when they create implementation intentions, the if–then plans that specify when, where and how to perform the behaviors that lead to successful goal achievement (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; see Sullivan & Rothman, 2008).”
BackgroundThe role of action planning and plan enactment for smoking cessation
de Vries, H., Eggers, S. M., & Bolman, C. A. W. (2013) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-393 · Cited by 93
“Although the application of implementation intentions can lead to significant effects [36], some studies found no effects aof implementation intention interventions on behavior [37-40].”
BackgroundVirtue, Social Knowledge, and Implicit Bias
Madva, A. (2016) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198713241.003.0008 · Cited by 93
“Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006) go so far as to call them “instant habits.””
BackgroundUsing Episodic Future Thinking to Pre-Experience Climate Change Increases Pro-Environmental Behavior
Lee, P.-S., Sung, Y., Wu, C.-C., Ho, L., & Chiou, W. (2018) · Environment and Behavior · doi:10.1177/0013916518790590 · Cited by 103
“Numerous empirical studies have shown that goal-pursuit interventions can robustly promote goal attainment (Sheeran, 2002; Sheeran & Webb, 2016) and increase the performance of intended actions (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; Prestwich & Kellar, 2014).”
BackgroundUsing Action Planning to Promote Exercise Behavior
Conner, M. T., Sandberg, T., & Norman, P. E. (2010) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-010-9190-8 · Cited by 94
“This research has shown that getting individuals to form such plans compared to not forming such plans has a medium-sized effect on promoting behavior [18] including health behaviors such as exercise (e.”
BackgroundHabit slips: when consumers unintentionally resist new products
Labrecque, J. S., Wood, W., Neal, D. T., & Harrington, N. (2016) · Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/s11747-016-0482-9 · Cited by 103
“^ (Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006, p. 82).”
History of Social Psychology: Insights, Challenges, and Contributions to Theory and Application
Ross, L. D., Lepper, M. R., & Ward, A. C. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470561119.socpsy001001 · Cited by 97
“Some promising results have been generated by research on implementation intentions, whereby individuals are encouraged to anticipate how best to shield goal pursuits from distracting influences (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundEbert, D., Tarnowski, T., Gollwitzer, M., Sieland, B., & Berking, M. (2013) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000345967 · Cited by 93
Intervention Effects on Cognitive Antecedents of Physical Exercise: A 1‐Year Follow‐Up Study
Göhner, W., Seelig, H., & Fuchs, R. (2009) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01014.x · Cited by 96
“Once the situation arises, performance of behaviour is triggered and released automatically (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundThe Ant and the Grasshopper: Understanding Personal Saving Orientation of Consumers
Dholakia, U. M., Tam, L., Yoon, S., & Wong, N. (2016) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucw004 · Cited by 91
Armitage, C. J. (2007) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/1076-8998.12.4.376 · Cited by 93
Armitage, C. J., & Arden, M. A. (2008) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.27.6.789 · Cited by 92
“…demonstrating that implementation intentions were able to overcome a habit-forming behavior such as smoking in a field setting, the present study adds to a growing body of laboratory work showing that implementation intentions possess the key properties of habits (see Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialDamalas, C. A. (2021) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-021-13183-3 · Cited by 93
“willing based on a specific if-then plan that promotes goal realization (implementation intentions) (Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006).”
BackgroundThe effect of implementation intentions on prospective memory performance across the lifespan
Zimmermann, T. D., & Meier, B. (2009) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.1576 · Cited by 91
“24: 645–658 (2010) DOI: 10.1002/acp specified actions (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
InfluentialSchüz, B., Wurm, S., Ziegelmann, J. P., Wolff, J. K., Warner, L. M., Schwarzer, R., & Tesch‐Römer, C. (2012) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0027596 · Cited by 92
Loy, L. S., Wieber, F., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00607 · Cited by 96
“Meta-analyses showed that IIs have medium to large effects on goal attainment (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006; Adriaanse et al., 2010b; Bélanger-Gravel et al., 2013; Chen et al., 2015).”
BackgroundSelf-citationGoal desires moderate intention ‐ behaviour relations
Prestwich, A., Perugini, M., & Hurling, R. (2007) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1348/014466607x218221 · Cited by 93
VanderDrift, L. E., Agnew, C. R., & Wilson, J. E. (2009) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167209337543 · Cited by 93
Elliott, M. A., & Ainsworth, K. (2011) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.09.005 · Cited by 91
Changes in Intentions, Planning, and Self-efficacy Predict Changes in Behaviors
Reuter, T., Ziegelmann, J. P., Wiedemann, A. U., Geiser, C., Lippke, S., Schüz, B., & Schwarzer, R. (2010) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/1359105309360071 · Cited by 108
“…been proposed that, if individuals increase their levels of cognitions and skills such as self-efficacy beliefs and planning, they will be better suited to execute intended changes in behavior and subsequently maintain these changes (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; Schwarzer, 2008; Sniehotta, 2009).”
BackgroundBoosting scholastic test scores by willpower: The role of implementation intentions
Bayer, U. C., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2006) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298860600662056 · Cited by 90
“Again, a bulk of lab and field studies in different domains (e.g., interpersonal, health, and achievement; see meta-analysis by Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006) indicates that people who furnish their goal intentions with implementation intentions are more successful in goal striving and goal attainment…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationGoal pursuit: Current state of affairs and directions for future research.
Milyavskaya, M., & Werner, K. M. (2018) · Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne · doi:10.1037/cap0000147 · Cited by 104
“Research consistently finds that when people are asked to make such plans for their goals, they are more likely to attain them (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006), and that those goals for which a person has a concrete plan are more likely to be attained (compared to other goals).”
BackgroundBieleke, M., Keller, L., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2021) · European Review of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/10463283.2020.1808936 · Cited by 83
“Moreover, it was asked whether basing one’s goal striving on implementation intentions makes goal striving less taxing, and whether this is true for all kinds of goals such as consumer, academic, prosocial, health, and environmental goals (summaries by Gollwitzer, 1999; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundSelf-citationEnergization and Direction Are Both Essential Parts of Motivation
Elliot, A. J. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197662359.003.0002 · Cited by 91
Implementation intentions and disengagement from a failing course of action
Henderson, M. D., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2006) · Journal of Behavioral Decision Making · doi:10.1002/bdm.553 · Cited by 91
Self-citationRelapse prevention in a national smoking cessation contest: Effects of coping planning
van Osch, L., Lechner, L., Reubsaet, A., Wigger, S., & de Vries, H. (2007) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1348/135910707x224504 · Cited by 90
Reaching one's personal goals: A motivational perspective focused on autonomy.
Koestner, R. (2008) · Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne · doi:10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.60 · Cited by 100
“A recent meta-analysis of over 100 studies confirmed that people who supplemented their goals with implementation intentions had markedly higher rates of success across diverse goal domains ( Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006 ).”
BackgroundGutiérrez-Doña, B., Lippke, S., Renner, B., Kwon, S., & Schwarzer, R. (2009) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01004.x · Cited by 100
“People do not forget their intentions easily when specified in a when, where, and how manner (for an overview and meta-analysis, see Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundGustavson, D. E., & Miyake, A. (2017) · Learning and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2017.01.010 · Cited by 128
“A good candidate for such an intervention is implementation intentions, which involve forming if/then rules that can be targeted at specific temptations (Gollwitzer & Brandstatter, 1997; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundFrom the Bench to Public Health
Neter, E., Stein, N., Barnett-Griness, O., Rennert, G., & Hagoel, L. (2014) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.11.008 · Cited by 90
The effect of implementation intention on prospective memory: A systematic and meta-analytic review
Chen, X.-J., Wang, Y., Liu, L.-L., Cui, J.-F., Gan, M.-Y., Shum, D. H. K., & Chan, R. C. K. (2015) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.01.011 · Cited by 80
“In the end, 36 comparisons were included in the overall meta-analysis [two studies mentioned in Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006) meta-analysis were also included].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialDieting, overweight, and obesity: Self-regulation in a food-rich environment.
Stroebe, W. (2008) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/11753-000 · Cited by 92
Pilot study of a family physical activity planning intervention among parents and their children
Rhodes, R. E., Naylor, P., & McKay, H. A. (2009) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-009-9237-0 · Cited by 89
“This may have had an impact on the efficacy of the planning intervention as these types of interventions have shown better success with educated populations (Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006).”
BackgroundInfluentialO'Connor, R. C., Ferguson, E., Scott, F., Smyth, R., McDaid, D., Park, A.-L., Beautrais, A., & Armitage, C. J. (2017) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(17)30129-3 · Cited by 88
The Chill of the Moment: Emotions and Proenvironmental Behavior
Schwartz, D., & Loewenstein, G. F. (2017) · Journal of Public Policy & Marketing · doi:10.1509/jppm.16.132 · Cited by 88
“This literature has shown that intentions predict a moderate part of behavior (Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006) and that affective attitudes may change intentions (French, Sutton, and Hennings 2005).”
BackgroundHamilton, K., Price, S., Keech, J. J., Peden, A. E., & Hagger, M. S. (2017) · International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.12.013 · Cited by 92
The Effects of Self-Criticism and Self-Oriented Perfectionism on Goal Pursuit
Powers, T. A., Koestner, R., Zuroff, D. C., Milyavskaya, M., & Gorin, A. A. (2011) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167211410246 · Cited by 101
Increasing Physical Exercise Levels
Scholz, U., Sniehotta, F. F., Burkert, S., & Schwarzer, R. (2007) · Journal of Aging and Health · doi:10.1177/0898264307305207 · Cited by 93
“It should be noted, however, that in studies of the effects of planning on behavior change, an even shorter time frame of 2 to 4 weeks is rather common (cf. Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundScheerman, J. F. M., van Loveren, C., van Meijel, B., Dusseldorp, E., Wartewig, E., Verrips, G. H. W., Ket, J. C. F., & van Empelen, P. (2016) · Community Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology · doi:10.1111/cdoe.12224 · Cited by 88
“With regard to ‘action planning’ and ‘coping planning’ enhancement, methods might include implementation intentions, that is prompting making if-then plans 65 – 67 .”
Vernon, S. W., Bartholomew, L. K., McQueen, A., Bettencourt, J. L., Greisinger, A., Coan, S. P., Lairson, D., Chan, W., Hawley, S. T., & Myers, R. E. (2011) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-010-9258-5 · Cited by 87
“In such an intervention, a patient could develop a step-by-step plan to complete screening [44, 45].”
BackgroundZarski, A.-C., Berking, M., Reis, D., Lehr, D., Buntrock, C., Schwarzer, R., & Ebert, D. D. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.8814 · Cited by 87
“Moreover, planning has been shown, in line with HAPA, to be a mediator between intentions and behaviors and to further facilitate the translation of intentions into actions [30,34-37].”
Nachreiner, M., Mack, B., Matthies, E., & Tampe-Mai, K. (2015) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2015.08.016 · Cited by 88
Ferrer, R. A., & Cohen, G. L. (2019) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868318797036 · Cited by 87
Radley, A., de Bruin, M., Inglis, S. K., Donnan, P. T., Hapca, A., Barclay, S. T., Fraser, A. G., & Dillon, J. F. (2020) · The Lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology · doi:10.1016/s2468-1253(20)30120-5 · Cited by 87
The (over)use of SMART goals for physical activity promotion: A narrative review and critique
Swann, C., Jackman, P. C., Lawrence, A., Hawkins, R. M., Goddard, S. G., Williamson, O., Schweickle, M. J., Vella, S. A., Rosenbaum, S., & Panteleimon Ekkekakis, A. (2022) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2021.2023608 · Cited by 87
“It should be acknowledged, however, that there is extensive research on strategies for goal implementation, such as implementation intentions (e.g., Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundThings to Do Today . . . : A Daily Diary Study on Task Completion at Work
Claessens, B. J. C., van Eerde, W., Rutte, C. G., & Roe, R. A. (2009) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2009.00390.x · Cited by 97
“Indirect evidence on a link between priority and performance comes from research on implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1999; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2004 ) that has shown that the more concretely actions are planned in terms of when, where, and how to execute them, the more likely it becomes that they actually will…”
Backgroundder Mispel, C. V., Poppe, L., Crombez, G., Verloigne, M., & Bourdeaudhuij, I. D. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.7277 · Cited by 87
“Participants also get the option to state implementation intentions [37,38], that is, to formulate an if-then plan (eg, if I come home from work, I go walking in the neighborhood for half an hour).”
BackgroundIdeation and intention to use contraceptives in Kenya and Nigeria
Babalola, S. O., John, N. A., Ajao, B., & Speizer, I. S. (2015) · Demographic Research · doi:10.4054/demres.2015.33.8 · Cited by 86
“Research has shown that the consistency of intention and behavior depends on the type of intention formed, goal intention or implementation intention (Fennis et al. 2011; Gollwitzer and Sheeran 2006; Sheeran 2002).”
BackgroundSocial Psychological Factors in Lifestyle Change and Their Relevance to Policy
Maio, G. R., Verplanken, B., Manstead, A. S. R., Stroebe, W., Abraham, C., Sheeran, P., & Conner, M. T. (2007) · Social Issues and Policy Review · doi:10.1111/j.1751-2409.2007.00005.x · Cited by 87
“Evidence indicates that opportunities to act that are specified in implementation intentions do not easily escape people’s attention, even when people are busy with other ongoing tasks (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationUnderstanding Intentions and Action in Colorectal Cancer Screening
Power, E., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., McCaffery, K. J., Miles, A., Atkin, W. S., & Wardle, J. (2008) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-008-9034-y · Cited by 86
“Using these strategies has been effective in improving the realization of intentions [38] and indicates the importance of considering self-regulation over and above preintentional processes in goal completion.”
Implementation intentions and the willful pursuit of prosocial goals in negotiations
Trötschel, R., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2006) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2006.06.002 · Cited by 87
“In numerous studies (meta-analysis by Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006) it has been shown that implementation intentions facilitate action initiation by making it more swift (e.g., Gollwitzer & Brandstätter, 1997), eYcient (e.g., Brandstätter, Lengfelder, & Gollwitzer, 2001), and independent of conscious…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationThe Role of Deliberative Versus Implemental Mindsets in Time Prediction and Task Accomplishment
Brandstätter, V., Giesinger, L., Job, V., & Frank, E. (2015) · Social Psychology · doi:10.1027/1864-9335/a000231 · Cited by 85
Hattar, A., Pal, S., & Hagger, M. S. (2016) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12065 · Cited by 85
Papies, E. K. (2017) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12323 · Cited by 97
Brown, D. J., Hagger, M. S., Morrissey, S. A., & Hamilton, K. (2017) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.11.106 · Cited by 91
Leroy, S., & Glomb, T. M. (2018) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.2017.1184 · Cited by 98
Impulse Buying: Design Practices and Consumer Needs
Moser, C., Schoenebeck, S., & Resnick, P. (2019) · International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3290605.3300472 · Cited by 91
“Meta-analysis data show that implementation plans are effective, with a medium-to-large effect size on goal attainment [29].”
BackgroundZhang, C., Fang, R., Zhang, R., Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17041209 · Cited by 83
Rhodes, R. E., & Fiala, B. (2009) · Physiotherapy Theory and Practice · doi:10.1080/09593980902835344 · Cited by 85
“This procedure is sometimes augmented by also considering cues to action based on recent literature showing the possible importance of simple plans in breaking bad habits (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006) and carefully situated reminders of behaviour change (i.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialBélanger‐Gravel, A., Godin, G., Bilodeau, A., & Poirier, P. (2012) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2012.723711 · Cited by 85
“This medium effect size was a compromise between a previous estimation of the effect of IIs on healthrelated behaviours (d¼ 0.59; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006) and a more modest estimation of the effect of behavioural interventions on physical activity (Foster, Hillsdon, & Thorogood, 2005).”
BackgroundInfluentialWebb, T. L., Christian, J., & Armitage, C. J. (2007) · Learning and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2007.03.001 · Cited by 84
What influences physical activity in people with heart failure? A qualitative study
Tierney, S., Elwers, H., Sange, C., Mamas, M. A., Rutter, M. K., Gibson, M., Neyses, L., & Deaton, C. (2011) · International Journal of Nursing Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.03.003 · Cited by 92
Asbjørnsen, R. A., Wentzel, J., Smedsrød, M. L., Hjelmesæth, J., Clark, M. M., Solberg Nes, L., & Van Gemert-Pijnen, J. E. W. C. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/22598 · Cited by 84
“Theories about motivation, self-regulation, and social learning [101-104] are likely to be of use in the design of eHealth interventions emphasizing values and needs, as identified in this study.”
MethodStrategic regulation of mimicry effects by implementation intentions
Wieber, F., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2014) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.02.002 · Cited by 83
“One effective strategy is to form an implementation intention (meta-analyses by Adriaanse, Vinkers, De Ridder, Hox, & De Wit, 2011; Bélanger-Gravel, Godin, & Amireault, 2013; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundSelf-citationDuckworth, A. L., & Gross, J. J. (2020) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.09.002 · Cited by 113
Understanding sustained behavior change: the role of life crises and the process of reinvention
Ogden, J., & Hills, L. (2008) · Health An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine · doi:10.1177/1363459308094417 · Cited by 86
“Furthermore, Gorin et al. (2004a) concluded from their analysis that acute medical triggers are good predictors of both long and short term changes in weight.”
BackgroundStaying on track: Planned goal striving is protected from disruptive internal states
Bayer, U. C., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Achtziger, A. (2010) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2010.01.002 · Cited by 83
“Studies in different domains (e.g., academic, health, interpersonal) have shown that goal attainment is fostered by implementation intentions (for summaries, see Achtziger & Gollwitzer, 2010; Gollwitzer, Gawrilow, & Oettingen, 2010; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationOldham, M., Kellett, S., Miles, E., & Sheeran, P. (2012) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0029630 · Cited by 84
“The formation of an if–then plan (or implementation intention) reduces the gap between intentions and action (Gollwitzer, 1999; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
Self-citationZiegelmann, J. P., Łuszczyńska, A., Lippke, S., & Schwarzer, R. (2007) · Rehabilitation Psychology · doi:10.1037/0090-5550.52.1.97 · Cited by 84
“Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006 ), the present study is among the few that have used longitudinal designs to generalize the previous evidence to health behavior in the field of rehabilitation.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialThe power of prospection: mental contrasting and behavior change
Oettingen, G., & Reininger, K. M. (2016) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12271 · Cited by 85
McCready, J. L., Nichol, B., Steen, M., Unsworth, J., Comparcini, D., & Tomietto, M. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280439 · Cited by 88
“Firstly, most of the reviews included in this synthesis investigated prospective attitudes and behavioural intentions toward a COVID-19 vaccine, which does not always translate to actual behaviour [75, 76].”
BackgroundWilliams, M. A., Williamson, E. M., Heine, P., Nichols, V. P., Glover, M. J., Dritsaki, M., Adams, J., Dosanjh, S., Underwood, M. R., Rahman, A., et al. (2015) · Health Technology Assessment · doi:10.3310/hta19190 · Cited by 84
Epton, T., Norman, P., Dadzie, A.-S., Harris, P. R., Webb, T. L., Sheeran, P., Julious, S. A., Ciravegna, F., Brennan, A., Meier, P. S., et al. (2014) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-563 · Cited by 82
“Third, participants were prompted to form implementation intentions to help them to translate their intentions to change into behaviour [13].”
BackgroundSelf-citationCEOS Theory: A Comprehensive Approach to Understanding Hard to Maintain Behaviour Change
Borland, R. (2016) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12083 · Cited by 82
Resisting chocolate temptation using a brief mindfulness strategy
Jenkins, K., & Tapper, K. (2013) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12050 · Cited by 82
Armitage, C. J., & Arden, M. A. (2010) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870440903121638 · Cited by 82
“In addition to the difficulties in previous studies with applying implementation intentions to physical activity, all the preceding studies elicited implementation intentions in an open-ended format, using standard elicitation techniques (e.g. Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialDurable effects of implementation intentions: Reduced rates of confirmed pregnancy at 2 years.
Miller, J. G., Sheeran, P., Slade, P., Wright, A., & Dibble, T. (2011) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0022739 · Cited by 81
Self-citationHamilton, K., Bonham, M. D., Bishara, J., Kroon, J., & Schwarzer, R. (2016) · International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12529-016-9605-4 · Cited by 83
“Meta-analyses support the effects of self-efficacy and planning on health behaviors [36, 37].”
Method
Metadata
- Authors
- Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Sheffield (GB)
- Venue
- Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Published
- 2006
- Pages
- 69-119
- ISSN
- 0065-2601 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1818536883
- Cited by
- 3,236
- References
- 166
- Citations by year
- 2026: 142 · 2025: 150 · 2024: 192 · 2023: 251 · 2022: 178 · 2021: 196 · 2020: 256 · 2019: 177 · 2018: 185 · 2017: 168 · 2016: 189 · 2015: 188 · 2014: 174 · 2013: 161 · 2012: 144
- FWCI
- 243.46
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- nbn-resolving.de
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Advances in experimental social psychology (publishedVersion)
- KOPS (University of Konstanz) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- implementation intentions, goal achievement, goal pursuit, self-regulation, goal-directed behavior
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
