Evaluating implementation intentions: Is there one best approach?

Abstract Goal attainment can be largely influenced by implementation intentions which represent detailed planning of the process and its outcomes. Previous studies have pointed on the positive effects of these intentions in various settings and highlighted their importance. However, the methodology of assessing the quality of implementation intentions has not been under the investigation so far. This paper, therefore, focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of two different approaches to the evaluation of the specificity of these intentions. Analysing two different datasets of participants stating the thought-out aspects of achieving a similar goal, six independent evaluators assessed the specificity of each plan. Evaluation A allowed for each plan to score a maximum of 5 points based on the inclusion of five specificity categories. Evaluation B focused on the quality of each category that could yield 0–2 points. Results indicate that while Evaluation A seems to reflect the presence rather than the quality of plan components, offering a simpler and broader assessment, Evaluation B highlights the precision of the plan details, giving deeper insight into the quality of implementation intentions. Our findings suggest need of considering multiple factors when choosing the best evaluation approach for a specific study of implementation intentions, such as the space for different interpretations of categories by the evaluators, relevancy of some categories, wording of the questions related to details of planning, etc. An overview of advisable steps when conducting such a research study is also proposed, providing guidance for future research.