Facilitating food-related planning: Applying metacognition, cue-monitoring, and implementation intentions

Implementation intentions are specific if-then plans that can successfully change unwanted habits by linking the critical cue triggering the unwanted behavior to a healthier alternative. For example, in order to consume fewer unhealthy snacks while watching television, a plan could be formulated like 'If I am watching TV, then I will eat an apple!'. The efficacy of implementation intentions is typically demonstrated in controlled lab settings. Yet, when employing this strategy for every day goal pursuit, different challenges emerge, especially when complex habitual behaviors are targeted. The present dissertation set out to examine how the use of implementation intentions in applied settings could be facilitated aimed at reducing unhealthy snacking.

It was firstly demonstrated among a large community sample that unhealthy snack intake is mostly predicted by habit strength, thereby emphasizing the need for strategies to focus on its habitual nature, e.g., using implementation intentions. Then, it was investigated how this strategy could be improved in applied contexts. A first challenge concerns the specification of critical cues triggering the unwanted response. While this is essential for effective planning, people generally have limited insight into their habitual triggers. It was examined whether if-then planning could benefit from a cue-monitoring phase, in which people reflect upon their reasons for unhealthy snacking in situ to aid cue-identification during plan formation. Merely cue-monitoring effectively reduced unhealthy snacking on the short term, without additional benefit of implementation intentions. The results thus demonstrated the effectiveness of cue-monitoring for short term reductions in unhealthy snacking. A second challenge is that while implementation intentions target a single cue-response association, unhealthy snacking is typically triggered in various situations. Therefore, the behavioral and cognitive effects of forming multiple implementation intentions were investigated. It was found that making multiple plans targeting the same behavior negatively affects snack intake and could not effectively alter its cognitive cue-response association. Hence, a single plan should be formed to promote goal pursuit. A final concern is the specific if-then link underlying implementation intention's success, which simultaneously makes this tool rather inflexible. Because of this static link, the presence of multiple triggers, possible changing circumstances, or varying needs for personal goal pursuit cannot be accommodated. It was therefore examined whether implementation intentions can be taught as a 'metacognitive strategy'. Participants from the general population learned how to employ this strategy independently using three steps: planning (deciding when and how to act), monitoring (reflecting on the behavior and its triggers), and evaluating (determining if the plan needs modifications). This strategy was successful: after two months people consumed substantially fewer unhealthy snacks compared to before the exercise and to merely cue-monitoring or cue-monitoring followed by original planning instructions.
Inspired by complications with goal pursuit in daily life, this research assessed important issues when applying if-then plans, using a combination of lab studies and applied research. By employing strategies that support the effectiveness of implementation intentions, such as cue-monitoring and metacognition, effective planning aimed at unhealthy snacking behavior is facilitated and made accessible for the population at large.