Does mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) help to increase physical activity?

Abstract

Background: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) is a self-regulation strategy aimed at increasing the effectiveness of goal attainment. It is based on the generation of mental representations related to a planned activity and potential obstacles to its execution, as well as the formation of plans for overcoming these obstacles. Participants and procedure: To verify the effectiveness of an online MCII intervention in increasing physical activity, two randomized controlled trials were conducted among physically active people. In both studies, indicators of physical activity, sports training self-efficacy, sport engagement, and physical activity-related positive and negative affect were assessed. Measurements were conducted at three time points: before the intervention, one week after its completion, and two weeks following the intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental (MCII) or a control group. The final sample in Study 1 included 59 students whose goal was to increase their daily step count, and in Study 2, 112 individuals who trained at a gym and aimed to increase the amount of time spent on aerobic training. Results: No statistically significant effects of the MCII online intervention were observed in either Study 1 or Study 2. The results revealed no statistically significant differences between groups, nor any pre- to post-intervention changes in the experimental group across any of the measured variables. Conclusions: The findings from these two studies provide further evidence regarding the application and limitations of online MCII interventions among physically active individuals.