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Question-behaviour effect: a randomised controlled trial of asking intention in the interrogative or declarative
Gaston Godin1, Ariane Bélanger-Gravel, Lydi-Anne Vézina-Im
1Research Group on Behaviours and Health, Laval University, Laval, Canada. gaston.godin@fsi.ulaval.ca
Psychology & Health
|April 5, 2012
Summary
Asking yourself questions about future actions, rather than stating intentions, boosts behavior adoption. This introspective self-talk effect is strongest when not combined with moral norm measures.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Measuring behavioral intention can influence future actions.
- The phrasing of intention measurement (interrogative vs. declarative) may impact its effectiveness.
- Moral norms can also influence behavior, potentially interacting with intention measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the question-behavior effect of measuring intention.
- To examine if the interrogative or declarative form of intention measurement influences behavior.
- To assess the moderating role of moral norms in the question-behavior effect.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial with 762 participants.
- 2x2 factorial design examining intention phrasing and moral norm presence.
- Baseline assessment of cognitions and self-reported physical activity at 3-week follow-up.
Main Results:
- A significant interaction effect was found between intention phrasing and moral norm conditions (p = 0.04).
- The interrogative intention-only condition led to significantly different outcomes compared to declarative intention-only (d = 0.21, p = 0.03).
- The interrogative intention-only condition also differed significantly from the interrogative intention + moral norm condition (d = 0.22, p = 0.03).
Conclusions:
- Self-posed questions about future actions increase the likelihood of performing them.
- This effect is more pronounced when not accompanied by moral norm measures.
- Introspective self-talk, particularly through self-questioning, can be a strategy to promote behavior adoption.
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