Succeed: Ch. 9

Question 1

what is the best way to achieve your goal?

Answer 1

Making an effective implementation plan

Question 1

what is involved in an implementation plan?

Answer 1

deciding what you will do, when you will do it, and where you will do it

Question 2

Gollwitzer et al. implementation plan study

Answer 2

asked college students on the way to their final exams if they would write an essay while at home on vacation describing how they spent their Christmases. Found that 71% of those who decided when and where they would write the essay completed the task compared to 32% of students who made no particular plan

Question 3

implementation intentions

Answer 3

a form of if-then planning

Question 4

Gollwitzer & Sheeran implementation plan meta-analysis

Answer 4

found that across 94 studies, if-then planning resulted in significantly higher rates of goal attainment in a variety of domains

Question 5

The effects of making an implementation plan:

Answer 5

• Creates a link between the situation or cue (the if) and the behaviour that should follow (the then)
• The situation or cue becomes highly active in your brain
• Once the “if” part of your plan occurs, the “then” part follows automatically

Question 6

if-then plans and habits

Answer 6

If-then plans help us to create instant habits

Question 7

if-then plans and self-control

Answer 7

• If-then plans conserve our self-control strength because the unconscious mind takes over
• Thus, if-then planners are more likely to be tenacious in the face of unexpected obstacles

Question 8

implementation plans and obstacles

Answer 8

Target the obstacles that are likely to arise while you are pursuing your goal and make an if-then plan for each of them

Question 9

if-then plans and behaviour

Answer 9

If-then plans are great for suppressing unwanted behaviour