Researchers have identified a number of factors that affect decision implementation (i.e., the linking of intentions and behavior). While several important social psychological models include links between intentions and behavior, no adequate theoretical model of decision implementation exists for dealing with complex situations where implementation requires considerable time and effort at multiple points in time. Such is the case with many important health behaviors (e.g., adherence to diet, exercise, and medication regimens). This research will examine the role of self-schemata in decision implementation. Self-schemata are cognitive structures involving generalizations about the self that are focused on aspects of the self regarded by the individual as important. Previous research has linked self-schemata to self-reported behavior in both concurrent and prospective studies. The research will determine whether self-schemata moderate the strength of the relationship between individuals' intentions to diet and their dieting behavior, and examine on possible reason why this might occur: namely, that the dieting intentions of individuals who possess a self-schema in this domain are more accessible from memory. The research represents the first step in the development of a schema-based model of decision implementation. It will contribute to our understanding of the role that the self plays in linking intentions and behavior, test the adequacy of several social psychological models as regards the link between intention and behavior, and extend schema theory by examining one possible mechanism by which self-schemata may moderate intention-behavior consistency.
