Supporting sustainable food consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) aligns intentions and behavior

Loy, Laura S.; Wieber, Frank; Gollwitzer, Peter M.; Oettingen, Gabriele

doi:10.21256/zhaw-2724

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2724

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Supporting sustainable food consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) aligns intentions and behavior
Authors:	Loy, Laura S. Wieber, Frank Gollwitzer, Peter M. Oettingen, Gabriele
DOI:	10.21256/zhaw-2724 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00607
Published in:	Frontiers in Psychology
Volume(Issue):	7
Issue:	607
Issue Date:	29-Apr-2016
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Frontiers Research Foundation
ISSN:	1664-1078
Language:	English
Subjects:	Consumption; Ernährung; Behavior change; Verhaltensänderung
Subject (DDC):	150: Psychology
Abstract:	With growing awareness that sustainable consumption is important for quality of life on earth, many individuals intend to act more sustainably. In this regard, interest in reducing meat consumption is on the rise. However, people often do not translate intentions into actual behavior change. To address this intention-behavior gap, we tested the self-regulation strategy of mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII). Here, people identify and imagine a desired future and current obstacles standing in its way. They address the obstacles with if-then plans specifying when, where, and how to act differently. In a 5-week randomized controlled experimental study, we compared an information C MCII intervention with an information-only control intervention. As hypothesized, only MCII participants’ intention of reducing their meat consumption was predictive of their actual reduction, while no correspondence between intention and behavior change was found for control participants. Participants with a moderate to strong intention to reduce their meat consumption reduced it more in the MCII than in the control condition. Thus, MCII helped to narrow the intention-behavior gap and supported behavior change for those holding moderate and strong respective intentions.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/9963
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Health (IPH)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Loy, L. S., Wieber, F., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2016). Supporting sustainable food consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) aligns intentions and behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(607). https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2724

Loy, L.S. et al. (2016) ‘Supporting sustainable food consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) aligns intentions and behavior’, Frontiers in Psychology, 7(607). Available at: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2724.

L. S. Loy, F. Wieber, P. M. Gollwitzer, and G. Oettingen, “Supporting sustainable food consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) aligns intentions and behavior,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 7, no. 607, Apr. 2016, doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2724.

LOY, Laura S., Frank WIEBER, Peter M. GOLLWITZER und Gabriele OETTINGEN, 2016. Supporting sustainable food consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) aligns intentions and behavior. Frontiers in Psychology. 29 April 2016. Bd. 7, Nr. 607. DOI 10.21256/zhaw-2724

Loy, Laura S., Frank Wieber, Peter M. Gollwitzer, and Gabriele Oettingen. 2016. “Supporting Sustainable Food Consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) Aligns Intentions and Behavior.” Frontiers in Psychology 7 (607). https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2724.

Loy, Laura S., et al. “Supporting Sustainable Food Consumption : Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) Aligns Intentions and Behavior.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 7, no. 607, Apr. 2016, https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-2724.