Jones Christopher M, Conner Mark, Schüz Benjamin
Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2025 Feb;17(1):e12633. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12633.
Behavioral intentions predict behavior better if they are stable over time. A statistical argument suggests that this is due to less measurement error, but recent theoretical advances suggest self-regulatory effects: durable intentions remain temporally stable due to their persistence when faced with challenges. Here, we leverage intensive longitudinal data on adherence with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 623; total assessments = 19,740; study duration: 6 months each). We operationalize intention durability as temporal order-dependent variability (reversed root mean square of successive differences [RMSSD] between each valid assessment). We then examine the within- and between-person moderating effects of intention durability on the intention-behavior association as well as the effects of past on current behavior. In line with the theoretical assumptions, we find that more durable intentions are not only associated with a stronger intention-behavior link on a within- and a between-person level but also a stronger effect of past on current adherence with NPIs. Our findings support the hypothesized moderating effects of intention durability and provide a more nuanced understanding of the self-regulatory processes underlying the temporal stability of intentions.
如果行为意图随时间保持稳定，那么它们对行为的预测效果会更好。一个统计学观点认为，这是因为测量误差较小，但最近的理论进展表明存在自我调节效应：持久的意图在面对挑战时由于其持续性而在时间上保持稳定。在此，我们利用了关于新冠疫情期间非药物干预措施（NPIs）依从性的密集纵向数据（N = 623；总评估次数 = 19740；研究持续时间：各6个月）。我们将意图持久性操作化为时间顺序依赖的变异性（每次有效评估之间连续差异的反向均方根[RMSSD]）。然后，我们考察意图持久性在个体内部和个体之间对意图 - 行为关联的调节作用，以及过去行为对当前行为的影响。与理论假设一致，我们发现更持久的意图不仅在个体内部和个体之间层面与更强的意图 - 行为联系相关，而且对过去行为对当前NPIs依从性的影响也更强。我们的研究结果支持了意图持久性的假设调节作用，并为意图时间稳定性背后的自我调节过程提供了更细致入微的理解。
