Changing pace: Using implementation intentions to enhance social distancing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus has spread exponentially across the country. While the spread of this disease can be significantly slowed if people practice "social distancing," it is difficult to break old habits and acquire new behaviors at the needed speed. The purpose of this study is to challenge how health risk messages are currently communicated (specifically by considering how the Center of Disease Control (CDC) communicates its recommendations for social distancing) and suggest an alternative way. We tested and applied the use of a robust behavioral intervention known as "if−then" plans (plans that spell out in advance how one wants to achieve a goal they have previously set) to encourage the acquisition of a new behavior (e.g., social distancing) during this time of crisis. Using a longitudinal mixed design (within-/between-subjects study) daily diary study, we hypothesized and observed (via multilevel modeling) that those randomized into the experimental group (those who created and practiced if−then plans) demonstrated increased social distancing over time, whereas engagement in social distancing did not change in the control condition (those who observed the CDC guidelines). These results were sustained in a 3-week follow-up examination for those who were strongly committed to the goal to social distance. Such evidence suggests that risk communication messaging that includes if−then plans is an effective way of acquiring new behaviors. Public Significance StatementThis study proposes optimizing the current way of communicating COVID-19 health messages to promote the adoption of new behaviors (e.g., social distancing). In a 3-week study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of supplementing traditional health messages with if−then plans (self-generated plans which specify in advance how one wants to achieve a previously set goal) to promote social distancing.

How to boost the boosters? A survey-experiment on the effectiveness of different policies aimed at enhancing acceptance of a “Seasonal” vaccination against COVID-19

“…This result may seem as somewhat unintuitive and does not align with later information regarding high vaccination rates of the third and fourth doses among people who are at high risk of contracting the disease and/or being severely affected by the virus [10]. However, research indicates that the psychological and behavioral mechanisms that enable the performance of a one-time behavior, even if it is not the first time it is being performed, and performing a repeated behavior periodically, are different [69][70][71]. This means that people who agree to take a specific additional shot (given a specific state of the pandemic), would not necessarily agree in advance to get a shot periodically (when future conditions and severity of the pandemic are unknown) and vice versa.…”

Social cognition theories and behavior change in COVID-19: A conceptual review

“…A specific form of planning, known as implementation intentions or “if-then” plans ( Gollwitzer, 1999 ), has also been proposed as moderator the intention-behavior relationship, suggesting that individuals who plan may be more likely to follow through on their intentions. Studies have indicated that compliance with a interventions using if-then plans, leads to greater adherence to physical distancing guidelines ( Ahn et al, 2021 ; Bieleke, Martarelli, & Wolff, 2021 ).…”

“…Such an approach together with judicious testing of contextual attributes such as location and target population may provide important evidence of the contexts in which interventions targeting social cognition constructs, such as attitudes and risk perceptions, are likely to have optimal efficacy. However, although a small number of randomized controlled designed interventions adopting techniques aimed at changing behavior through changes in social cognition theory constructs have been reported (e.g., Ahn et al, 2021 ; Keller et al, 2021 ; Okuhara et al, 2020 ; Smith et al, 2021 ), none have tested mechanisms of action using the proposed mediated effects. Given the paucity of this research we recommend the need for interventions based on social cognition theories that test mechanisms of action.…”

“…These studies have been successful in accounting for unique variance in behavior, and have assisted in identifying relevant processes (e.g., Bogg & Milad, 2020 ; Chu & Liu, 2021 ; Hagger, Smith, Keech, Moyers, & Hamilton, 2020 ; Hamilton, Smith, Keech, Moyers, & Hagger, 2020 ; Jang, Kim, & Kwon, 2021 ; Norman, Wilding, & Conner, 2020 ; Tong, He, Wu, Dang, & Chen, 2021 ). In addition, their application has also demonstrated utility in informing the development of behavioral interventions in this context – interventions based on these theories have demonstrated efficacy in changing behavior (e.g., Ahn, Hu, & Vega, 2021 ; Keller et al, 2021 ; Okuhara, Okada, & Kiuchi, 2020 ; Smith, Hagger, Keech, Moyers, & Hamilton, 2021 ).…”

“Skin in the Game”: Social Goals Implementation Intentions Increase Compliance with COVID-19 Preventive Measures

“…Implementation intentions has been proven effective in various domains (see Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006 for a meta-analysis), including health behaviors (Armitage, 2016;Robinson et al, 2019;Silva et al, 2018) and remains to this day one of the most effective tools to promote costly behaviors such as regular physical exercise (Milkman et al, 2021). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, implementation intentions has been tested by an interventional study which demonstrated the effectiveness of this simple "if-then" plan formulations fostering greater compliance with social distancing measures (Ahn et al, 2021).…”