Goals and if-then plans: what 94 tests found

Step 1 Warm-up recall

From M4.L2: what does a chance of superiority of 58% mean?

Your answer

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Step 2 Learning goal

By the end of this lesson you can:

• define an implementation intention (Foundation);
• report what Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006) found (Core);
• convert a d into a chance of superiority (Core).

Step 3 A familiar example

“I will exercise more” is a wish. “If it is 7am on a weekday and I have put my shoes on, then I will walk for ten minutes” is a plan. The second names a cue and an action.

Step 4 Clear explanation

An implementation intention is an “if-then” plan that links a specific cue to a specific action.

Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006) meta-analysed 94 independent tests of the effect of implementation intentions on goal attainment. They reported a positive effect of medium-to-large size, d = 0.65. The abstract does not state the number of participants.

Translate d = 0.65. The chance of superiority is the area below d ÷ √2 on the normal curve: 0.65 ÷ 1.414 = 0.46, which gives about 68%. A random person who made an if-then plan beats a random person who did not about 68 times in 100.

Cautions. This is an average over many different goals and settings. As in M4.L1, published effects may be inflated, and the abstract is silent on moderators. Treat 0.65 as a promising average, not as a promise for your goal.

For your experiment. Your protocol is fixed for week 4. Do not add an if-then plan now. If you think one would help, write it as an idea for a future experiment and report it in Module 8.

Step 5 Worked example (4 marks)

An article says “if-then plans double your chance of success”, citing d = 0.65.

1. d = 0.65 gives a chance of superiority of about 68%, not 200%. (1 mark)
2. It is a standardised difference in goal attainment, not a doubling. (1 mark)
3. It is an average across 94 tests of many goals; individual results vary. (1 mark)
4. Fair statement: across 94 tests, if-then plans were associated with a medium-to-large improvement in goal attainment, on average. (1 mark)

Step 6 Learner practice (instant-marked)

Step 7 Recap

• Implementation intentions are if-then plans linking a cue to an action.
• Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006): 94 independent tests, d = 0.65, medium to large.
• d = 0.65 is a chance of superiority of about 68%.

Step 8 Exit ticket (ungraded)

Write one if-then plan you might use in a future experiment. Do not start it now.

Your answer

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Step 9 Go further (Extension)

Read the Gollwitzer and Sheeran abstract. Note what it says about the processes behind the effect.