Abstract
Sheeran and Webb situate implementation intentions inside the theory of planned behaviour — if-then plans bridge the intention–behaviour gap by pre-linking situational cues to responses.
Sheeran, P., & Webb, T. L. (2016). The theory of planned behaviour and implementation intentions. In M. Fishbein & I. Ajzen (Eds.), Predicting and changing behavior (2nd ed., pp. 271–305). Psychology Press.
Key findings
- Intention–behaviour gap — Strong attitudes and intentions still fail without cue-linked execution plans.
- If-then automation — Implementation intentions delegate control to environmental cues — reducing daily deliberation load.
- TPB integration — Planned-behaviour components set the what/why; implementation intentions specify when/where/how.
Application
When ideal-week structure stays aspirational, add one if-then per block — not another goal statement. Pair The ideal schedule machine · Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans.