A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions on Goal Attainment
Guoxia Wang, Yi Wang and Xiaosong Gai pooled empirical studies of mental contrasting with implementation intentions, in which a person pictures a wanted future, then what stands in its way, and then makes an if-then plan for the obstacle. Across about two dozen independent effect sizes and nearly sixteen thousand participants, the method had a small to medium positive effect on goal attainment. The authors note that publication bias may mean the actual effect is smaller, though they judged the main conclusion reliable.
Guoxia Wang, Yi Wang and Xiaosong Gai pooled empirical studies of mental contrasting with implementation intentions, in which a person pictures a wanted future, then what stands in its way, and then makes an if-then plan for the obstacle. Across about two dozen independent effect sizes and nearly sixteen thousand participants, the method had a small to medium positive effect on goal attainment. The authors note that publication bias may mean the actual effect is smaller, though they judged the main conclusion reliable.
Written from the abstract read 2026-10-22 on the Frontiers in Psychology article page.
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Wang, G., Wang, Y., & Gai, X. (2021). A meta-analysis of the effects of mental contrasting with implementation intentions on goal attainment. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 565202. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.565202