Prof. Pashcal Sheeran's Publications\Journal Articles Book Chapters Journal ArticlesMartin, J., SHEERAN, P., SLADE, P., Wright, A., & Dibble, T. (2011). Durable effects of implementation intentions: reduced rates of confirmed pregnancy at 2 years. Health Psychology, 30, 368-373.
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MARTIN, J., SLADE, P., SHEERAN, P., Wright, A., & Dibble, T. (2011). 'If-then' planning in one-to-one behaviour change counselling is effective in promoting contraceptive adherence in teenagers. Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 37, 85-88.
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Godin, G., SHEERAN, P., Conner, M., Belanger-Gravel, A., Gallani, M. C. B., & Nolin, B. (2010). Social structure, social cognition and physical activity: A test of four models. British Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 79-95.
Objective. This study investigated the combined influence of social structural factors (e.g. income) and cognitions in predicting changes in physical activity. Four models were tested: (a) direct effects (social structural factors influence behaviour controlling for cognitions), (b) mediation (cognitions mediate social structural influence), (c) moderation (social structural factors moderate cognition–behaviour relations), and (d) mediatedmoderation (cognitions mediate the moderating effects of social structural position).
Design. Baseline and 3-month follow-up surveys.
Methods. A random sample of 1,483 adults completed self-report measures of
physical activity at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Measures of age, gender, education, income, material and social deprivation, intention, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and intention stability also were taken.
Results. Apart from age, social structural factors exhibited very small or marginal effects on behaviour change, and only education moderated the intention–behaviour relation. In contrast, the magnitude of direct effects of the social cognition variables was comparatively large and intention stability mediated the moderating effect of education.
Conclusions. Stable intentions and PBC are the key predictors of changes in physical activity. Consequently, our findings would suggest the value of focusing on cognitions rather than social structural variables when modelling the determinants of physical activity.
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Godin, G., SHEERAN, P., Conner, M., Delage, G., Germain, M., Belanger-Gravel, A., et al. (2010). Which survey questions change behavior? Randomized controlled trial of mere measurement interventions. . Health Psychology, 29, 636-644.
Objective: Evidence indicates that receiving a questionnaire about a behavior increases the likelihood that the person will perform that behavior—a phenomenon termed the mere measurement effect. This research tested the role of (a) the type of questions, and (b) questionnaire completion in optimizing the impact of mere measurement interventions designed to retain novice blood donors. Design: Novice blood donors (N = 4391) were randomly allocated to four conditions that varied the content of a questionnaire about blood donation (behavioral intention-only, behavioral intention plus regret, implementation intention-only, implementation intention plus regret) or to a no-questionnaire control condition. Main Outcome Measures: Objective measures of registration at blood drives were obtained at 6 and 12 months postbaseline. Results: Participants in the implementation intention-only condition donated more frequently at 6 months compared to participants in each of the other conditions. At 12 months both implementation intention conditions outperformed the other conditions. Implementation intentions increased the frequency of donations over 1 year by 12%. Measuring anticipated regret did not augment the impact of interventions whereas questionnaire completion had an important impact on donation behavior. Conclusion: Questions about implementation intentions but not behavioral intentions promote retention of novice blood donors.
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Palayiwa, A., SHEERAN, P., & THOMPSON, A. R. (2010). "Words Will Never Hurt Me": Implementation Regulate Attention to Stigmatising Comments about Appearance. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 29, 575-598.
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Rise, J., SHEERAN, P., & Moan, S. (2010). The role of self-identity in the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis. . Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40, 1085-1105.
The present study used meta-analysis to evaluate the role of self-identity in the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Altogether, 40 independent tests (N = 11607) could be included in the review. A large, sample-weighted average correlation between self-identity and behavioral intention was observed (r+ = .47). Multiple regression analyses showed that self-identity explained an increment of 6% of the variance in intention after controlling for the TPB components, and explained an increment of 9% of the variance when past behavior and the TPB components were controlled. The influence of self-identity on behavior was largely mediated by the strength of behavioral intentions. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
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Rivis, A., SHEERAN, P., & ARMITAGE, C. J. (2010). Explaining adolescents’ cigarette smoking: A comparison of four modes of action control and test of the role of self-regulatory mode. Psychology & Health, 25, 893-909.
The present study compared how well four modes of action control (intentional, habitual, reactive and stereotype activation) explain adolescents' cigarette smoking, and examined whether individual differences in self-regulation (locomotion and assessment tendencies; Higgins, Kruglanski, & Pierro, 2003) moderate the behavioural impact of the respective modes. Findings from a prospective questionnaire survey showed that (a) willingness, prototype perceptions and past behaviour-but not intention-predicted smoking behaviour, and explained 63% of the variance, and (b) the assessment mode of self-regulation moderated the past behaviour-future behaviour relation such that past behaviour had less impact on future smoking behaviour at high levels of assessment. These findings suggest that adolescents' smoking is controlled by stereotype activation, habitual and reactive processes. Implications of the results for designing effective adolescent smoking cessation programmes are considered.
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Trafimow, D., Clayton, K. D., SHEERAN, P., Darwish, A. F. E., & Brown, J. (2010). How do people form behavioral intentions when others have the power to determine social consequences? Journal of General Psychology, 137, 287-309.
Much literature has suggested that people who are discriminated against or are in collectivist cultures are particularly susceptible to the social consequences of society. In the present study, the authors conducted 3 experiments to test how this factor influences attitudinal versus normative control over behaviors. First, they measured males' and females' attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions with respect to a large number of behaviors. Although between-participants analyses were mostly uninformative, within-participants analyses uncovered strong evidence that behaviors are more under attitudinal control for females than for males. Similar analyses in a crosscultural experiment involving participants from the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Mexico support the hypothesis that behaviors are more under attitudinal control for collectivists than for individualists. Finally, experimental data collected in the United States and Saudi Arabia further support this conclusion. Taken together, the findings suggest that although social consequences are both social and consequences, the latter is more important than the former.
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Webb, T. L., Ononaiye, M. S. P., Sheeran, P., Reidy, J., & Lavda, S. (2010). Using implementation intentions to modify the effects of social anxiety on attention and responses to evaluative situations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 612-627.
The present research examines whether forming implementation intentions can help people with social anxiety to control their attention and make more realistic appraisals of their performance. In Experiment 1, socially anxious participants (relative to less anxious participants) exhibited an attentional bias toward social threat words in a Visual Dot Probe task. However, socially anxious participants who formed implementation intentions designed to control attention did not exhibit this bias. Using a spatial cuing task, Experiment 2 showed that forming implementation intentions also promoted rapid disengagement from threatening stimuli. Experiment 3 ruled out the possibility that implementation intentions were effective merely because they provided additional goal-relevant information. In Experiment 4, participants gave a speech and subsequently rated their performance. Forming implementation intentions prevented the underestimation of performance that characterizes socially anxious individuals. Together, the findings suggest that forming implementation intentions may provide an effective means of handling self-regulatory problems in social anxiety.
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Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2010). A viable, integrative framework for contemporary research in health psychology: Commentary on Hall and Fong’s Temporal Self-regulation Theory. Health Psychology Review, 4, 79-82.
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Brown, I., SHEERAN, P., & Reuber, M. (2009). Enhancing antiepileptic drug adherence: A randomized controlled trial. Epilepsy & Behavior, 16(4), 634-639.
Suboptimal adherence to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment is commonplace, and increases the risk of status epilepticus and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. This randomized controlled trial was designed to demonstrate whether an implementation intention intervention involving the completion of a simple self-administered questionnaire linking the intention of taking medication with a particular time, place, and other activity can improve AED treatment schedule adherence. Of the 81 patients with epilepsy who were randomized, 69 completed a 1-month monitoring period with an objective measure of tablet taking (electronic registration of pill bottle openings, Medication Event Monitoring System [MEMS]). Intervention participants showed improved adherence relative to controls on all three outcomes: doses taken in total (93.4% vs. 79.1%), days on which correct dose was taken (88.7% vs. 65.3%), and doses taken on schedule (78.8% vs. 55.3%) (P < 0.01). The implementation intention intervention may be an easy-to-administer and effective means of promoting AED adherence.
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Gollwitzer, P. M., & SHEERAN, P. (2009). Self-regulation of consumer decision making and behavior: The role of implementation intentions. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19, 593-607.
In the present paper, we argue that people can use the self-regulatory strategy of forming implementation intentions (i.e., if-then plans) to make better consumer decisions and facilitate the translation of those decisions into action. First, research on the mechanisms and effects of implementation intentions is reviewed. Second, we discuss how implementation intentions can be used to improve consumer decision making by promoting attention control and information elaboration, and overcoming disruptive influences. Third, we consider the various problems that militate against the enactment of one’s decisions, and evidence is presented to show that implementation intentions are still effective even when goal attainment does not seem to be amenable to self-regulation. Finally, potential moderators of implementation intention effects are discussed.
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Gollwitzer, P. M., SHEERAN, P., Michalski, V., & Seifert, A. E. (2009). When intentions go public: Does social reality widen the intention-behavior gap? . Psychological Science, 20, 612-618.
Based on Lewinian goal theory in general and self-completion theory in particular, four experiments examined the implications of other people taking notice of one's identity-related behavioral intentions (e.g., the intention to read law periodicals regularly to reach the identity goal of becoming a lawyer). Identity-related behavioral intentions that had been noticed by other people were translated into action less intensively than those that had been ignored (Studies 1-3). This effect was evident in the field (persistent striving over 1 week's time; Study 1) and in the laboratory (jumping on opportunities to act; Studies 2 and 3), and it held among participants with strong but not weak commitment to the identity goal (Study 3). Study 4 showed, in addition, that when other people take notice of an individual's identity-related behavioral intention, this gives the individual a premature sense of possessing the aspired-to identity.
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MARTIN, J., SHEERAN, P., Wright, A., & Dibble, T. (2009). Implementation intention formation reduces consultations for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing among teenage women. Health Psychology, 28, 762-769.
Objective: This study examined the impact of implementation intention formation in reducing consultations for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing in young women.
Design: Teenage girls (N = 261) visiting a family planning clinic were randomly assigned to implementation intention versus control conditions and completed questionnaires at recruitment.
Main Outcome Measures: Objective measures of consultation outcomes were obtained from clinic records at baseline and 9-month follow-up (n = 200).
Results: Forming implementation intentions significantly reduced consultations for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing at follow-up compared with the control group (38% vs. 55%). There were also differences between the groups in consultation outcomes over time. For instance, whereas 31% of implementation intention participants changed from consulting for emergency contraception and pregnancy testing at baseline to consulting for contraceptive supplies only at follow-up, only 16% of control participants did so.
Conclusion: These results suggest that implementation intention formation is a simple yet effective means of promoting pregnancy prevention among teenagers
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Rivis, A., SHEERAN, P., & ARMITAGE, C. J. (2009). Expanding the affective and normative components of the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis of anticipated affect and moral norms. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 39, 2985-3019.
Meta-analysis was used to determine the predictive validity of anticipated affect and moral norms in the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). Medium-to-large sample-weighted average correlations were obtained. Anticipated affect and moral norms increased the variance explained in intentions by 5% and 3%, respectively, controlling for TPB variables. Intention mediated the influence of both variables on behavior. Moderator analyses showed that younger samples and behaviors with a moral dimension were associated with stronger moral-norm/intention relations, and anticipated regret was associated with a stronger anticipated-affect/intention relation. The implications of the findings for the TPB are discussed.
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Rothman, A., SHEERAN, P., & Wood, W. (2009). Reflective and automatic processes in the initation and maintenance of dietary change. Annals of Behavioural Medicine, 38 (Suppl. 1).
Purpose and Methods: This paper examines the social cognitive processes that regulate people's eating behavior. Specifically, we examine how eating behavior can be regulated by reflective, deliberative processes as well as automatic and habitual processes. Moreover, we consider how these processes operate when people are not only initiating a change in behavior but also maintaining the behavior over time.
Results and Discussion: Decomposing action control and behavior change into a 2 (reflective, automatic) × 2 (initiation, maintenance) matrix offers a useful way of conceptualizing the various determinants of eating behavior and suggests that different intervention strategies will be needed to target particular processes during respective phases of behavior change. The matrix also helps to identify key areas of intervention development that deserve attention.
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WEBB, T. L., SHEERAN, P., & Luszczynska, A. (2009). Planning to break unwanted habits: Habit strength moderates implementation intention effects on behavior change. British Journal of Social Psychology, 48, 507-523.
Implementation intention formation promotes effective goal striving and goal attainment. However, little research has investigated whether implementation intentions promote behaviour change when people possess strong antagonistic habits. Experiment 1 developed relatively habitual responses that, after a task switch, had a detrimental impact on task performance. Forming an if-then plan reduced the negative impact of habit on performance. However, the effect of forming implementation intentions was smaller among participants who possessed strong habits as compared to participants who had weaker habits. Experiment 2 provided a field test of the role of habit strength in moderating the relationship between implementation intentions and behaviour in the context of smoking. Implementation intentions reduced smoking among participants with weak or moderate smoking habits, but not among participants with strong smoking habits. In summary, habit strength moderates the effectiveness of if-then plan formation in breaking unwanted habits.
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Achtziger, A., Gollwitzer, P. M., & SHEERAN, P. (2008). Implementation intentions and shielding goal striving from unwanted thoughts and feelings. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 381-393.
Forming an implementation intention or "if-then plan" promotes the attainment of different types of goals (Gollwitzer, 1999; Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). So far, research on implementation intentions has focused on the initiation of goal striving, whereas the issue of shielding of ongoing goal striving has been largely neglected. In two field experiments concerned with dieting (Study 1) and athletic goals (Study 2), goal shielding was supported by implementation intentions geared at controlling potentially interfering inner states (i.e., cravings for junk food in Study 1, and disruptive thoughts, feelings, and physiological states in Study 2). In both experiments, forming if-then plans enhanced the rate of goal attainment. Thus, implementation intention formation can be used to promote the realization of desired outcomes not only by facilitating getting started with goal striving but also by preventing goal striving from straying off course.
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Godin, G., SHEERAN, P., Conner, M., & Germain, M. (2008). Asking questions changes behavior: Mere measurement effects on frequency of blood donation. Health Psychology, 27, 179-184.
Objective: This research examined the impact of completing a questionnaire about blood donation on subsequent donation behavior among a large sample of experienced blood donors.
Design: Participants (N = 4672) were randomly assigned to an experimental condition that received a postal questionnaire measuring cognitions about donation or a control condition that did not receive a questionnaire.
Main Outcome Measures: Number of registrations at blood drives and number of successful blood donations were assessed using objective records both 6 months and 12 months later.
Results: Findings indicated that, compared to control participants, the mean frequency of number of registrations at blood drives among participants in the experimental group was 8.6% greater at 6 months (p < .0.007), and was 6.4% greater at 12 months (p < .035). Significant effects were also observed for successful blood donations at 6 months (p < .001) and 12 months (p < .004).
Conclusion: These findings provide the first evidence that the mere measurement is relevant to promoting consequential health behaviors. Implications of the research for intervention evaluation are discussed.
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Martijin, C., Alberts, H., SHEERAN, P., Peters, G. J. Y., Mikolajczak, Y., & de Vries, N. K. (2008). Blocked goals, persistent action: Implementation intentions engender tenacious goal striving. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 1137-1143.
Research on goal attainment has demonstrated that people are more likely to reach their goals when they form implementation intentions. Three experiments tested whether implementation intentions lead to tenacious goal striving following blockage of an initial attempt to reach the goal. In all three experiments some participants were instructed to form an implementation intention and other participants were not. Subsequently, the initial goal-directed attempt of all participants was unexpectedly blocked. Experiment I found that implementation intentions resulted in more attempts to realize one's goal. Experiment 2 showed that when participants formed an implementation intention their repeated attempt was acted out as intensely as their first, blocked attempt. Experiment 3 found that implementation intentions still allow people to seize an alternative, more onerous means to realize their intention. These results imply that implementation intention conserve self-regulatory strength. After goal blockage, the remaining strength can be used to continue goal-directed action.
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WEBB, T. L., & SHEERAN, P. (2008). Mechanisms of implementation intention effects: The role of intention, self-efficacy, and accessibility of plan components. British Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 373-395.
Although considerable evidence suggests that forming an implementation intention increases rates of goal attainment, less research has examined the mechanisms that underlie these effects. The present research investigated the role of deliberative processes and accessibility of plan components as explanation for the relationship between implementation intentions and goal achievement. Study I used meta-analysis to quantify the effects of implementation intentions on goal intentions and self-efficacy. The results of 66 tests suggested that forming implementation intentions had negligible effects on both variables. Study 2 focused on the accessibility of plan components and found that the effect of implementation intentions on goal achievement was mediated simultaneously by the accessibility of specified situational cues and by the strength of the association forged between these cues and the intended response. These findings suggest that implementation intention effects are not explained by increased deliberation, but rather accrue from heightened accessibility of specified opportunities and strong opportunity-response links.
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Ferguson, E., Frances, C. R., Abraham, C., Ditto, B., & SHEERAN, P. (2007). Improving blood donor recruitment and retention: Integrating theoretical advances from the social and behavioral science agendas. Transfusions, 47, 1999-2010.
Background: Increasing blood donor recruitment and retention is of key importance to transfusion services. Research within the social and behavioral science traditions has adopted separate but complementary approaches to addressing these issues. This article aims to review both of these types of literature, examine theoretical developments, identify commonalities, and offer a means to integrate these within a single intervention approach.
Study Design and Methods: The social and behavioral science literature on blood donor recruitment and retention focusing on theory, interventions, and integration is reviewed.
Results: The role of emotional regulation (anticipated anxiety and vasovagal reactions) is central to both the behavioral and the social science approaches to enhancing donor motivation, yet although intentions are the best predictor of donor behavior, interventions targeting enactment of intentions have not been used to increase donation. Implementation intentions (that is, if-then plans formed in advance of acting) provide a useful technique to integrate findings from social and behavioral sciences to increase donor recruitment and retention.
Conclusion: After reviewing the literature, implementation intention formation is proposed as a technique to integrate the key findings and theories from the behavioral and social science literature on blood donor recruitment and retention.
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Fife-Schaw, C., SHEERAN, P., & NORMAN, P. (2007). Simulating behaviour change interventions based on the theory of planned behaviour: Impacts on intention and action. British Journal of Social Psychology, 46, 43-68.
The theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) has been used extensively to predict social and health behaviours. However, a critical test of the TPB is whether interventions that increased scores on the theory's predictors would engender behaviour change. The present research deployed a novel technique in order to provide this test. Statistical simulations were conducted on data for 30 behaviours (N=211) that estimated the impact of interventions that generated maximum positive changes in attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (PBC) on subsequent intentions and behaviour. Findings indicated that interventions that maximized TPB variables had a substantial impact on behavioural intentions. Although TPB maximization increased the proportion of the sample that performed respective behaviours by 28% compared with baseline, the behaviour of a substantial minority of the sample (26%) did not change. The research also identified several interactions among TPB variables in predicting simulated intention and behaviour scores and investigated the mediating role of intentions in predicting behaviour.
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Godin, G., Conner, M., SHEERAN, P., & Germain, M. (2007). Determinants of repeated blood donation among new and experienced blood donors. Transfusions, 47, 1607-1615.
Background: The maintenance of a safe level of blood supply is provided by a small number of volunteers, and their retention is difficult. The aim of this study was to identify factors predicting repeated blood donation among experienced and new donors.
Study Design And Methods: A random sample of 2231 donors (2070 experienced and 161 new) completed a questionnaire assessing psychosocial factors as defined by the most prominent social cognitive theories. Six months later, an objective measure of frequency of registrations to give blood was obtained from the database of the local official agency for blood donation.
Results: Logistic regression analysis indicated that for experienced donors, the predictors were intention, perceived control, anticipated regret, moral norm, age, and frequency of blood donation in the past. For new donors, intention and age were the only determinants of behavior. Important differences in the determinants of intention were also noted between experienced and new donors.
Conclusion: In summary, the results of this study support the idea that distinct promotion strategies should be adopted to increase repeated blood donation among experienced versus new donors.
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Langdridge, D., SHEERAN, P., & CONNOLLY, K., J. (2007). Analyzing additional variables in the theory of reasoned action. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 1884-1913.
This study examined the convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of several variables proposed to augment the theory of reasoned action (TRA), using both principal components analysis (PCA)/multiple regression and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)/structural equation modeling (SEM) among a sample of the UK population regarding their intention to have a child. PCA revealed good convergent and discriminant validity for attitude vs. anticipated regret, subjective norm vs. moral norm vs. social relations, but not for intention vs. desire or perceived behavioral control. Multiple regression analyses showed that the additional variables predicted a significant increment in the variance in intention. CFA, however, showed moderate convergent validity and poor discriminant validity and the structural model comprised the 2 predictors from the TRA only.
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Maio, G. R., Verplanken, B., Manstead, A. S. R., Stroebe, W., Abraham, S. C., SHEERAN, P., et al. (2007). Social psychological factors in lifestyle change and their relevance to policy. Social Issues and Policy Review, 1, 99-137.
Crises in obesity and changes in the environment illustrate the need to change problematic behaviors and lifestyles in large segments of the population. This article uses social psychological theory and research to understand methods for facilitating lifestyle change. A basic assumption in the social psychological perspective is that the environment and the person interact to determine behavior. Both factors are important for understanding "upstream" and "downstream" approaches to lifestyle change (McKinlay, 1993; Verplanken & Wood, 2006) and consideration of one factor without the other may be disastrous. We review evidence from within and outside of the health context to illustrate the upstream and downstream approaches and then describe implications for public policy and intervention. The evidence and recommendations encompass a wide range of behaviors, ranging from speeding and intoxicated driving to eating an unhealthy diet and energy conservation. When armed with the relevant social psychological theory and evidence, lifestyle change campaigns are likely to be successful.
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Michie, S., Rothman, A., & SHEERAN, P. (2007). Advancing the science of behaviour change. Advancing the science of behaviour change. . Psychology and Health, 22, 249-253.
Interventions to change health-related behaviours have had some success, but behaviour change has proved to be a formidable challenge. Substantial advances in efforts to improve the behavioral determinants of health will require renewed commitment to the science of behaviour. In particular, we believe there are three areas that would benefit from greater attention: (1) Refining theory, (2) methods, measurement, and mediation, and (3), designing theory-based interventions.
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SHEERAN, P., Aubrey, R., & KELLETT, S. (2007). Increasing attendance for psychotherapy: Implementation intentions and the self-regulation of attendance-related negative affect. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 853-863.
The present study evaluated an implementation intention intervention that aimed to increase attendance at scheduled, initial appointments for psychotherapy by helping clients to manage negative feelings about attendance. Participants received a postal questionnaire that measured their views about attending psychotherapy. One half of the sample was randomly assigned to an implementation intention induction that was embedded in the questionnaire. Intention-to-treat analysis (N=390) indicated that participants who formed implementation intentions were more likely to attend compared to controls (75% vs. 63%), and this effect was even stronger among participants who returned the questionnaire (83% vs. 57%). Whereas anticipated affective costs (e.g., shame) had a negative impact on attendance for most participants, this effect was attenuated when participants formed implementation intentions and perceived that attendance would be beneficial. Thus, implementation intention formation can help clients to deal effectively with negative feelings that might otherwise prevent them attending their first psychotherapy appointment.
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WEBB, T. L., & SHEERAN, P. (2007). How do implementation intentions promote goal attainment? A test of component processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 43, 295-302.
Implementation intentions are plans that specify the when, where, and how of goal striving in advance, and have been shown to enhance rates of goal attainment compared to merely forming respective goal intentions. The present research investigated whether the accessibility of the specified situation (cue accessibility) and the strength of the association between the specified situation and the intended response (cue–response linkage) explain the impact of implementation intentions on goal achievement. Findings indicated that participants who planned how to undertake a verbal task better attained their goal compared to participants who did not form a plan. Crucially, implementation intention effects were mediated by the accessibility of the specified cue and by the strength of cue–response links. These findings support the idea that implementation intentions benefit performance because control of behavior is delegated to specified situational cues that initiate action automatically.
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Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119.
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Rivis, A., SHEERAN, P., & ARMITAGE, C. J. (2006). Augmenting the theory of planned behaviour with the prototype/willingness model: Predictive validity of actor versus abstainer prototypes for adolescents' health-protective and health-risk intentions. British Journal of Health Psychology, 11, 483-500.
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Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Does changing behavioural intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 249-268.
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SHEERAN, P., Aarts, H., Custers, R., Rivis, A., Webb, T. L., & Cooke, R. (2005). The goal-dependent automaticity of drinking habits. British Journal of Social Psychology, 44, 47-64.
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SHEERAN, P., Webb, T. L., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2005). The interplay between goal intentions and implementation intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 87-98.
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Webb, T. L., & SHEERAN, P. (2005). Integrating goal theories to understand the achievement of personal goals. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 35, 69-96.
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Abraham, C., & SHEERAN, P. (2004). Deciding to exercise: The role of anticipated regret. British Journal Health Psychology, 9, 269-278.
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Abraham, C., & SHEERAN, P. (2004). Implications of goal theories for the theories of reasoned action and planned behaviour. Current Psychology, 22, 218-233.
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ARMITAGE, C. J., SHEERAN, P., Conner, M., & Arden, M. A. (2004). Stages of change or changes of stage? Predicting transitions in transtheoretical model stages in relation to healthy food choice. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 491-499.
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Cooke, R., & SHEERAN, P. (2004). Moderation of cognition-intention and cognition-behaviour relations: A meta-analysis of properties of variables from the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 159-186.
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Rivis, A. J., & SHEERAN, P. (2004). Descriptive norms as an additional predictor in the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 22, 264-280.
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Trafimow, D., SHEERAN, P., Lombardo, B., Finlay, K. A., & ARMITAGE, C. J. (2004). Affective and cognitive control of persons and behaviors. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 207-224.
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Webb, T. L., & SHEERAN, P. (2004). Identifying good opportunities to act: Implementation intentions and cue discrimination. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 34, 407-419.
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Abraham, C., & SHEERAN, P. (2003). Acting on intentions: The role of anticipated regret. British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 495-511.
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NORMAN, P., SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (2003). Does state versus action orientation moderate intention-behaviour relations? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33, 536-553.
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Rivis, A., & SHEERAN, P. (2003). Social influences and the theory of planned behaviour: Evidence for a direct relationship between prototypes and young people's exercise behaviour. Psychology & Health, 18, (5): 567-583.
SHEERAN, P., & Abraham, C. (2003). Mediator of moderators: Temporal stability of intention and the intention-behavior relationship. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 205-215.
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SHEERAN, P., & Silverman, M. (2003). Evaluation of three interventions to promote workplace health and safety: Evidence for the utility of implementation intentions. Social Science and Medicine, 56, 2153-2163.
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SHEERAN, P., Trafimow, D., & ARMITAGE, C. J. (2003). Predicting behaviour from perceived behavioural control: Tests of the accuracy assumption of the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 393-410.
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Webb, T. L., & SHEERAN, P. (2003). Can implementation intentions help to overcome ego-depletion? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 279-286.
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Milne, S., Orbell, S., & SHEERAN, P. (2002). Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: Protection motivation theory and implementation intentions. British Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 163-184.
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SHEERAN, P., Trafimow, D., Finlay, K. A., & NORMAN, P. (2002). Evidence that the type of person affects the strength of the perceived behavioural control-intention relationship. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 253-270.
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Trafimow, D., Brown, J., Grace, K., Thompson, L., & SHEERAN, P. (2002). The relative influence of attitudes and subjective norms from childhood to adolescence: Between-participant and within-participant analyses. American Journal of Psychology, 115, 395-414.
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Trafimow, D., SHEERAN, P., Conner, M., & Finlay, K. A. (2002). Evidence that perceived behavioral control is a multidimensional construct: Perceived control and perceived difficulty. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 101-122.
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SHEERAN, P., Conner, M., & NORMAN, P. (2001). Can the theory of planned behavior explain patterns of health behavior change? Health Psychology, 20, 12-19.
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Street, H., SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (2001). Integrating concepts of depression: A multidimensional scaling analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 64, 53-64.
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Conner, M., SHEERAN, P., NORMAN, P., & ARMITAGE, C. J. (2000). Temporal stability as a moderator of relationships in the Theory of Planned Behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 469-493.
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Langdridge, D., CONNOLLY, K. J., & SHEERAN, P. (2000). A network analytic study of reasons for wanting a child. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 18, 321-338.
Milne, S., SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (2000). Prediction and intervention in health-related behaviour: A meta-analytic review of protection motivation theory. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 106-143.
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Orbell, S., & SHEERAN, P. (2000). Motivational and volitional processes in action initiation: A field study of the role of implementation intentions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 780-797.
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SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (2000). Using implementation intentions to increase attendance for crevical cancer screening. Health Psychology, 18, 283-289.
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SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (2000). Self-schemas and the theory of planned behaviour. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 30, 533-550.
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SHEERAN, P., NORMAN, P., & Orbell, S. (1999). Evidence that intentions based on attitudes better predict behaviour than intentions based on siubjective norms. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 29, 403-406.
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SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (1999). Implementation intentions and repeated behaviour: augmenting the predictive validity of the theory of planned behaviour. European Journal Of Social Psychology, 29, 349-369.
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SHEERAN, P., Orbell, S., & C., A. (1999). Psycholsocial correlates of heterosexual condom use: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 1, 90-132.
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Abraham, C., SHEERAN, P., & Wight, D. (1998). Designing research-based materials to promote safer sex among young people. "Psychology, Health and Medicine", 3, 127-131.
Abraham, C., SHEERAN, P., & Wight, D. (1998). Can social cognitive models contribute to the effectiveness of HIV-preventive behavioural interventions? British Journal of Medical Psychology, 71, 297-310.
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Flowers, P., Smith, J. A., SHEERAN, P., & BEAIL, N. (1998). 'Coming out' and sexual debut: Understanding the social context of HIV risk-related behaviour. Journal Of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 8, (6): 409-421.
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Orbell, S., & SHEERAN, P. (1998). Inclined abstainers: A problem for predicting health-related behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 151-165.
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Orbell, S., & SHEERAN, P. (1998). Regulation of behaviour in pursuit of health goals: Commentary. Psychology and Health, 13, 753-758.
Orbell, S., & SHEERAN, P. (1998). Can social cognition models contribute to the effectiveness of HIV-preventive health promotion? A review of the literature and a reply to Joffe (1996:1997) & Fife-Schaw (1997). British Journal of Medical Psychology, 71, 297-310.
SHEERAN, P., Abraham, C., & Orbell, S. (1998). Psycholsocial Correlates of heterosexual Condom use: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 125, (1): 90-132.
SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (1998). Do intentions predict condom use? A meta-analysis and examination of six moderator variables. British Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 231-250.
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Trafimow, D., & SHEERAN, P. (1998). Some tests of the distinction between cognitive and affective beliefs. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 34, 378-397.
Abraham, C., SHEERAN, P., & Johnston, M. (1997). From health beliefs to self-regulation: theoretical advances in the psychology of action control. Psychology and Health, 0, 1-23.
Brumfitt, S. M., & SHEERAN, P. (1997). An evaluation of short-term group therapy for people with aphasia. Disability and Rehabilitation, 19, 6: 221-230.
Flowers, P., SHEERAN, P., BEAIL, N., & Smith, J. A. (1997). The role of psychosocial factors in HIV risk-reduction among gay and bisexual men: A quantitative review. Psychology and Health, 12, 2: 197-230.
Flowers, P., Smith, J. A., SHEERAN, P., & BEAIL, N. (1997). Health and romance: Understanding unprotected sex in relationships between gay men. British Journal of Health Psychology, 2, 2: 73-78.
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S., O., S., H., & SHEERAN, P. (1997). Implementation Intentions and the Theory of Planned Behavior. PSPB, 23, 945-954.
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SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (1996). How confidently can we infer health beliefs from questionnaire responses? Psychology and Health, 11, 2: 273-290.
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SHEERAN, P., Spears, R., Abraham, C., & Abrams, D. (1996). "Religiosity, gender and the double standard." Journal of Psychology, 130, 23-33.
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Book ChaptersSHEERAN, P., Webb, T. L., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2006). Implementation intentions: Strategic automation of goal striving. In D. d. Ridder & J. d. Wit (Eds.), Self-regulation in health behavior (pp. 121-146): London: Wiley.
SHEERAN, P., Milne, S., Webb, T. L., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2005). Implementation intentions. In M. Conner & P. Norman (Eds.), Predicting Health Behaviour: Research and Practice with Social Cognition Models, 2nd edition (pp. 276-323): Buckingham: Open University Press.
Abraham, C., & SHEERAN, P. (2005). The health belief model. In Predicting Health Behaviour: Research and Practice with Social Cognition Models, 2nd edition (pp. 28-80): Buckingham: Open University Press.
Trafimow, D., & SHEERAN, P. (2004). A theory about the translation of cognition into affect and behavior. In G. Haddock & G. Maio (Eds.), Contemporary Perspectives on the Psychology of Attitudes (pp. 57-76): Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
SHEERAN, P. (2002). Intention-behaviour relations: A conceptual and empirical review. In M. Hewstone & W. Stroebe (Eds.), European Review of Social Psychology. (Vol. 12, pp. 1-36.): Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Orbell, S., & SHEERAN, P. (2002). Changing health behaviours: The role of implementation intentions. In D. R. Rutter & L. Quine (Eds.), Changing health behaviour: Intervention and research with social cognition models. (pp. 123-137): Buckingham: Open University Press.
SHEERAN, P., & Orbell, S. (1998). Social cognition: Self, attitudes and attributions. In P. J. Scott & C. P. SPENCER (Eds.), The Blackwells Introduction to Psychology. (pp. 425-466): Oxford: Blackwells.
Flowers, P., J.A., S., SHEERAN, P., & N., B. (1996). Identities and understanding gay men's sexual decision-making. In M. Connor & P. Norman (Eds.), AIDS: Activism and Alliances. (pp. 192-212): London: Taylor Francis.
Last update: 10 Nov 2011
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