Changing automatic behavior through self-monitoring: does overt change also imply implicit change?

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Self-monitoring unwanted behaviors is a core cognitive-behavioral therapy technique.
• This self-monitoring often leads to reductions in undesirable behaviors.
• The mechanisms behind these 'reactive effects' remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanisms of self-monitoring's reactive effects.
• To examine if behavioral changes are linked to shifts in explicit and implicit evaluations.
• To compare self-monitoring of snack-eating versus alcohol-drinking behavior.

Main Methods:

• 15-day self-monitoring period with random assignment to snack-eating or alcohol-drinking groups.
• Assessed implicit evaluations (Affective Priming Task) and consumption satisfaction (Snacks and Drinks Questionnaire) pre- and post-monitoring.
• Measured consumption frequency via self-monitoring forms.

Main Results:

• Snack-eating consumption decreased significantly post-monitoring; alcohol consumption did not.
• Both groups reported higher estimated snack-eating frequency.
• Implicit evaluations became more negative for both monitored substances, but explicit satisfaction remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Self-monitoring effectively reduced snack-eating but not alcohol consumption.
• Implicit, but not explicit, evaluation changes accompanied self-monitoring.
• Behavioral change is not solely driven by evaluation shifts; other factors like initial dissatisfaction are crucial.