Implementation Intentions¶
Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493-503.
Cited by¶
11 citations across 11 artifacts.
Each citation links to the sentence it supports in the citing article.
Primes¶
- Implementation Intention
- The structural force comes not from the conditional shape itself — any rule is a conditional — but from the pre-binding under absent deliberation condition: the decision is made once, in advance, and at runtime the system only matches and dispatches.
This sourceOriginating account of if-then plans that pre-bind a specified cue to a goal-directed response, delegating control to the cue so action follows without renewed deliberation.
Supported in partVerified against the work's full text
Gollwitzer shows if-then plans predecide the response so that effortful in-situ deliberation is no longer required; the 'not the conditional shape' contrast is the encyclopedia's own.
“Because ef- fortful deliberations in situ are no longer required, action initiation should be efficient in the sense of demanding few cognitive resources.”
- The structural force comes not from the conditional shape itself — any rule is a conditional — but from the pre-binding under absent deliberation condition: the decision is made once, in advance, and at runtime the system only matches and dispatches.
- Prospective Memory
- Gollwitzer's implementation intentions — the cognitive technique of binding "when X, do Y" — map directly onto event-driven software design, carrying the structural reasoning that recognition is more reliable than recall.
This sourceShows that binding a specific cue to a specific action ("when X, I will do Y") makes retrieval recognition-driven and improves follow-through.
Supported in partVerified against the work's full text
Gollwitzer defines implementation intentions as 'whenever situation x arises, I will do y' plans; he does not discuss software or recognition-versus-recall.
“plans in the form of imple- mentation intentions that link anticipated critical situations to goal-directed responses ("Whenever situation x arises, I will initiate the goal-directed response y!")”
- Gollwitzer's implementation intentions — the cognitive technique of binding "when X, do Y" — map directly onto event-driven software design, carrying the structural reasoning that recognition is more reliable than recall.
- Visioning
- Listed in the references but not attached to a specific claim.
Mechanisms¶
- Commitment Rehearsal
- Pre-formed if-then plans are the well-studied version of this — implementation intentions reliably raise follow-through precisely because the situational cue, not willpower in the moment, triggers the response.
This sourceDefines implementation intentions as if-then plans linking a situational cue to action and reports improved goal attainment.
- Pre-formed if-then plans are the well-studied version of this — implementation intentions reliably raise follow-through precisely because the situational cue, not willpower in the moment, triggers the response.
- Contingency Plan with Triggers
- The approach mirrors implementation intentions, the finding that concrete if-then plans dramatically improve follow-through compared with a mere intention to act.
This sourceShows that implementation intentions use concrete if-then cue-response plans to improve follow-through beyond holding a goal intention alone.
- The approach mirrors implementation intentions, the finding that concrete if-then plans dramatically improve follow-through compared with a mere intention to act.
- Environmental Retrieval Cue
- The cue shines for prospective memory — remembering to do something later — and for well-learned content that only needs triggering at the right instant; it is cheap, robust, and requires nothing of the moment but attention.
This sourceShows that implementation intentions link a specified situational cue to a future goal-directed action, improving prospective remembering and initiation when that cue is encountered.
- The cue shines for prospective memory — remembering to do something later — and for well-learned content that only needs triggering at the right instant; it is cheap, robust, and requires nothing of the moment but attention.
- Habit Tracker
- Pairing a logged behavior with a concrete cue is close to an implementation intention, which is why the lapse annotations are where the leverage sits.
This sourceGollwitzer defines implementation intentions by linking a concrete situational cue to a specified behavior, supporting the stated similarity. The source does not address lapse annotations or locate leverage in them.
- Pairing a logged behavior with a concrete cue is close to an implementation intention, which is why the lapse annotations are where the leverage sits.
- Implementation Intention Script
- Its strength is that it closes the gap between intending and doing: by pre-deciding the response, it removes in-the-moment deliberation and lets the goal execute under exactly the low-willpower conditions that normally derail it.
This sourceShows that implementation intentions link a specified situational cue to a preselected response, automating goal-directed action and helping intentions translate into behavior.
- Its strength is that it closes the gap between intending and doing: by pre-deciding the response, it removes in-the-moment deliberation and lets the goal execute under exactly the low-willpower conditions that normally derail it.
- Move-Countermove Playbook
- Its strength is that it converts rehearsal into retained, reusable readiness: the reasoning done once in a wargame is captured so it can be executed fast when it counts, and because every branch is a small pre-formed "if their move, then my response," it functions as a set of implementation intentions for a contest
This sourceTreats each branch as an implementation intention: a preselected if-then response that can execute quickly when its cue occurs.
- Its strength is that it converts rehearsal into retained, reusable readiness: the reasoning done once in a wargame is captured so it can be executed fast when it counts, and because every branch is a small pre-formed "if their move, then my response," it functions as a set of implementation intentions for a contest
- Private Commitment Window
- Its strength is that it gets effort started before the scariest audience is watching, converting a paralyzing public leap into a private first step.
This sourceShows that implementation intentions facilitate initiation of goal-directed action by linking a specified situation to a planned response.
- Its strength is that it gets effort started before the scariest audience is watching, converting a paralyzing public leap into a private first step.
- Tactic-to-Response Playbook
- Pre-deciding "if I see X, then I do Y" is the logic of implementation intentions, which reliably beat good intentions for follow-through because the response is already linked to a trigger.
This sourceDefines implementation intentions as if-then plans that link anticipated cues to responses and improve follow-through.
- Pre-deciding "if I see X, then I do Y" is the logic of implementation intentions, which reliably beat good intentions for follow-through because the response is already linked to a trigger.
Verification¶
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Does it back the claim? Read against the text for 2 of 11 citations: 2 supported in part. Each verdict is shown under its citation below, with what in the work backs the sentence.
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