Mark Conner | University of Leeds (original) (raw)

Papers by Mark Conner

Frontiers in Psychology

This manuscript overviews recent research on the intention-behavior gap, focusing on moderators o... more This manuscript overviews recent research on the intention-behavior gap, focusing on moderators of the intention-behavior relationship. The manuscript draws on the concept of intention strength to make two important points. First, strong intentions provide better predictions of behavior, thereby reducing the intention-behavior gap. However, strong intentions have the additional features of being more stable over time, less pliable in the face of interventions to change them, and more likely to bias information processing about engaging in the behavior. These four features of intention strength are not independent. For example, stable intentions are likely to provide better predictions of behavior. Second, various predictors of strength (e.g., importance, certainty, extremity) may also constitute important, but little studied, moderators of the intention-behavior relationship. Moreover, the effects of these moderators of the intention-behavior relationship may be mediated through int...

Supplemental material, Conner_Online_Appendix for Cognitive-Affective Inconsistency and Ambivalen... more Supplemental material, Conner_Online_Appendix for Cognitive-Affective Inconsistency and Ambivalence: Impact on the Overall Attitude–Behavior Relationship by Mark Conner, Sarah Wilding, Frenk van Harreveld and Jonas Dalege in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

British Journal of Social Psychology, 2021

Temporal stability is assumed to be an important basis for attitudes being strong predictors of b... more Temporal stability is assumed to be an important basis for attitudes being strong predictors of behaviour, but this notion has been little tested. The current research reports tests of temporal stability in moderating the attitude-behaviour relationship, specifically in relation to cognitive attitude (i.e., evaluation implied by cognitions about an attitude object) and affective attitude (i.e., evaluation implied by feelings about the attitude object). In three prospective studies (Study 1: physical activity, N = 909; Study 2: multiple health behaviours, N = 281; Study 3: smoking initiation, N = 3,371), temporal stability is shown to moderate the cognitive and affective attitudes to subsequent behaviour relationship in two-, three-, and four-wave designs utilizing between-(Studies 1 and 3) and within-participants (Study 2) analyses and controlling for past behaviour. Effects were more consistent for affective attitudes (when affective and cognitive attitudes were considered simultaneously and past behaviour controlled). Moderation effects were attenuated, but remained significant, in three-and four-wave compared with two-wave designs. The findings underline the role of temporal stability as an indicator of strength and confirm the relative importance of affective over cognitive (components of) attitudes for predicting behaviour.

Social Science & Medicine, 2021

Objective: Adherence to protection behaviours remains key to curbing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2... more Objective: Adherence to protection behaviours remains key to curbing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, but there are substantial differences in individual adherence to recommendations according to socio-structural factors. To better understand such differences, the current research examines whether relationships between health cognitions based on the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) and eight COVID-19 protection behaviours vary as a function of participant-level socio-structural factors. Methods: Within-person design with behaviours nested within participants in a two-wave online survey (one week delay) conducted during the UK national lockdown in April 2020. A UK representative sample of 477 adults completed baseline measures from the RAA plus perceived susceptibility and past behaviour for eight protection behaviours, and self-reported behaviour one week later. Moderated hierarchical linear models with cross-level interactions were used to test moderation of health cognitions by socio-structural factors (sex, age, ethnicity, deprivation). Results: Sex, ethnicity and deprivation moderated the effects of health cognitions on protection intentions and behaviour. For example, the effects of injunctive norms on intentions were stronger in men compared to women. Importantly, intention was a weaker predictor of behaviour in more compared to less deprived groups. In addition, there was evidence that perceived autonomy was a stronger predictor of behaviour in more deprived groups. Conclusion: Socio-structural variables affect how health cognitions relate to recommended COVID-19 protection behaviours. As a result, behavioural interventions based on social-cognitive theories might be less effective in participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2019

Kamran (2019)Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of repeated implementation intention formation ... more Kamran (2019)Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of repeated implementation intention formation plus antismoking messages on adolescent smoking initiation: A cluster randomized controlled trial.

Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2017

for their assistance with data collection and Create IT for the development of the study website.... more for their assistance with data collection and Create IT for the development of the study website. Highlights  This study isolates the unique effect of competition on physical activity promotion  Competition increased physical activity relative to self-monitoring and control  Competition effects mediated by motivation (identified, intrinsic, importance)

British journal of health psychology, Jan 12, 2016

To provide an experimental test of control theory to promote physical activity. Parallel groups, ... more To provide an experimental test of control theory to promote physical activity. Parallel groups, simple randomized design with an equal chance of allocation to any group. Participants not meeting recommended levels of physical activity but physically safe to do so (N = 124) were recruited on a UK university campus and randomized to goal-setting + self-monitoring + feedback (GS + SM + F, n = 40), goal-setting + self-monitoring (GS + SM, n = 40), or goal-setting only (GS, n = 44) conditions that differentially tapped the key features of control theory. Accelerometers assessed physical activity (primary outcome) as well as self-report over a 7-day period directly before/after the start of the intervention. The participants in the GS + SM + F condition significantly outperformed those in the GS condition, d = 0.62, 95% CI d = 0.15-1.08, and marginally outperformed those in the GS + SM condition in terms of total physical activity at follow-up on the accelerometer measure, d = 0.33, 95% ...

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation

RCM midwives journal: official journal of the Royal College of Midwives

Social Influence, 2011

Skip to content. Taylor &amp; Francis Online: Librarians; Authors &amp; Editors; ... more Skip to content. Taylor &amp; Francis Online: Librarians; Authors &amp; Editors; Societies. Register; Sign in; Mobile. Home; Browse; Products; Redeem a voucher; Shortlist; Shopping Cart Cart. The online platform for Taylor &amp; Francis Group content. Search. Advanced Search Within current journal Entire site. Home &gt; List of Issues &gt; Table of Contents &gt; Social Influence Volume 6, 2011, List of Reviewers. Browse journal. View all volumes and issues. Current issue. Forthcoming articles. Most read articles. Most cited articles. Authors and submissions. Instructions for ...

Journal of Health Psychology, 2005

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is increasingly being used to inform the development of int... more The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is increasingly being used to inform the development of interventions to promote health behaviour change. However, although the theory can be used to identify the determinants of particular health-related behaviours, it offers little guidance on how to change these determinants and hence how to promote behaviour change. There is evidence that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) can be used to support health behaviour change. This article discusses the similarities and differences between the two approaches, and considers whether techniques used in CBT are applicable to interventions based on the TPB.

European Review of Social Psychology, 2016

Research has demonstrated that asking people questions about a behaviour can lead to behaviour ch... more Research has demonstrated that asking people questions about a behaviour can lead to behaviour change. Despite many, varied studies in different domains, it is only recently that this phenomenon has been studied under the umbrella term of the question-behaviour effect (QBE) and moderators of the effect have been investigated. With a particular focus on our own contributions, this article: (1) provides an overview of QBE research; (2) reviews and offers new evidence concerning three theoretical accounts of the QBE (behavioural simulation and processing fluency; attitude accessibility; cognitive dissonance); (3) reports a new meta-analysis of QBE studies (k = 66, reporting 94 tests) focusing on methodological moderators. The findings of this meta-analysis support a small significant effect of the QBE (g = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.11, 0.18, p < .001) with smaller effect sizes observed in more carefully controlled studies that exhibit less risk of bias and (4) also considers directions for future research on the QBE, especially studies that use designs with low risk of bias and consider desirable and undesirable behaviour separately.

British Journal of Social Psychology

According to the mere effort account of performance, stereotype threat motivates disproval of the... more According to the mere effort account of performance, stereotype threat motivates disproval of the negative performance stereotype, which in turn potentiates the overproduction of prepotent responses. In mathematics (maths), prepotent responding facilitates solve type question (e.g., equations) performance, but reduces comparison type question (e.g., estimations) performance. Problematically, the mere effort account indexes performance motivation as task performance. Also, this account posits that performance reduction on non-prepotent tasks derives from the overproduction of prepotent responses, as opposed to failed inhibition of prepotent responses associated with the alternative, namely, the working memory interference perspective. We investigated motivational and prepotent responding as applied to stereotype threat. In Experiment 1, a maths question selection task indexed motivation (independently of performance). Stereotype threat led female test-takers to select more solve than comparison maths questions, in accord with the mere effort account. In Experiment 2, higher inhibitory ability protected overall maths performance following stereotype threat, but it did not protect non-prepotentiated comparison question performance (inconsistent with the working memory interference perspective). The results support the mere effort account.

British Journal of Social Psychology, 2016

Anticipated regret has been suggested as a useful addition to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TP... more Anticipated regret has been suggested as a useful addition to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) that captures affective influences. However, previous research has generally: (1) assessed the impact of anticipated regret in relation to one behaviour (action or inaction) when considering TPB variables in relation to the alternative behaviour; (2) not controlled for affective attitudes or past behaviour; and (3) examined only one or two behaviours. In two studies across several behaviours the present research showed that even when controlling for affective attitudes, past behaviour, and other TPB variables towards action, action and inaction anticipated regret each added to the prediction of intentions across multiple behaviours. The two studies also showed that inaction regret was generally the stronger predictor, although action regret was important for some types of behaviour. Implications and issues for further research are discussed.

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, Sep 16, 2016

Goal intentions are the key proximal determinant of behavior in a number of key models applied to... more Goal intentions are the key proximal determinant of behavior in a number of key models applied to predicting health behavior. However, relatively little previous research has examined how characteristics of goals moderate the intention-health-behavior relations. The present research examined the effects of goal priority and goal conflict as moderators of the intention-health-behavior relationship. The main outcome measures were self-reported performance of physical activity (Studies 1, 2, and 3) and other health behaviors (Study 4), and objectively measured physical activity (Study 3). Studies 1 and 4 used prospective correlational designs to predict later behavior from earlier cognitions. Studies 2 and 3 were experimental studies manipulating goal priority and goal conflict. Studies 1 and 2 used between-subjects designs while Studies 3 and 4 used within-subjects designs. Goal priority significantly moderated the intention-health-behavior relationship for physical activity (Study 1)...

Stress and Health, 2015

The present study examined the roles of work factors (i.e. job demands, job resources), workfamil... more The present study examined the roles of work factors (i.e. job demands, job resources), workfamily conflicts and culture on predictors of healthy intentions (fruit and vegetable consumption, low-fat diet, physical activity) within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Employees from the UK (N = 278) and Malaysia (N = 325) participated in the study. Results indicated that higher job demands were significantly related to lower intentions to eat a low-fat diet. Females reported higher intentions to eat a low-fat diet than males did, while participants from the UK had lower intentions to engage in physical activity compared to those from Malaysia. The efficacy of TPB variables in explaining intentions was verified, with perceived behavioural control (i.e. self-efficacy), attitudes and descriptive norms combined with past behaviour predictive across the samples. The results also suggest the roles of culture and work interference with family variables in moderating TPB-intention relationships and confirm that TPB variables mediate the effects of job demands and job resources on intentions. Practically, to promote health, identifying strategies to reduce stress factors; specifying important cognitive factors affecting work factors and thus, healthy intentions; and acknowledging cultural-specific determinants of healthy intentions are recommended.

Psychological bulletin, Jan 19, 2015

Control theory and other frameworks for understanding self-regulation suggest that monitoring goa... more Control theory and other frameworks for understanding self-regulation suggest that monitoring goal progress is a crucial process that intervenes between setting and attaining a goal, and helps to ensure that goals are translated into action. However, the impact of progress monitoring interventions on rates of behavioral performance and goal attainment has yet to be quantified. A systematic literature search identified 138 studies (N = 19,951) that randomly allocated participants to an intervention designed to promote monitoring of goal progress versus a control condition. All studies reported the effects of the treatment on (a) the frequency of progress monitoring and (b) subsequent goal attainment. A random effects model revealed that, on average, interventions were successful at increasing the frequency of monitoring goal progress (d+ = 1.98, 95% CI [1.71, 2.24]) and promoted goal attainment (d+ = 0.40, 95% CI [0.32, 0.48]). Furthermore, changes in the frequency of progress monito...

Frontiers in Psychology

British Journal of Social Psychology, 2021

Social Science & Medicine, 2021

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2019

Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2017

British journal of health psychology, Jan 12, 2016

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation

RCM midwives journal: official journal of the Royal College of Midwives

Social Influence, 2011

Journal of Health Psychology, 2005

European Review of Social Psychology, 2016

British Journal of Social Psychology

British Journal of Social Psychology, 2016

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, Sep 16, 2016

Stress and Health, 2015

Psychological bulletin, Jan 19, 2015

Tobacco Control, 2017

Background: In cross-sectional surveys, increasing numbers of adolescents report using both elect... more Background: In cross-sectional surveys, increasing numbers of adolescents report using both electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and cigarettes. This study assessed whether adolescent e-cigarette use was associated prospectively with initiation or escalation of cigarette use.
Method: Data were from 2,836 adolescents (aged 13-14 years at baseline) in 20 schools in England. At baseline, breath carbon monoxide levels, self-reported e-cigarette and cigarette use, sex, age, friends and family smoking, beliefs about cigarette use, and percentage receiving free school meals (measure of socio-economic status) were assessed. At 12 month follow-up, self-reported cigarette use was assessed and validated by breath carbon monoxide levels.
Results: At baseline, 34.2% of adolescents reported ever using e-cigarettes (16·0% used only e-cigarettes). Baseline ever use of e-cigarettes was strongly associated with subsequent initiation (N = 1,726; OR = 5·38, 95%CI = 4·02 to 7·22; controlling for covariates, OR = 4·06, 95%CI = 2·94 to 5·60) and escalation (N = 318; OR = 1·91, 95%CI = 1·14 to 3·21; controlling for covariates this effect became non-significant, OR = 1·39, 95%CI = 0·97 to 1·82) of cigarette use.
Conclusions: This is the first study to report prospective relationships between ever use of e-cigarettes and initiation and escalation of cigarette use among UK adolescents. Ever use of e-cigarettes was robustly associated with initiation but more modestly related to escalation of cigarette use. Further research with longer follow-up in a broader age-range of adolescents is required.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 2019

Objective: Forming implementation intentions (if-then plans) about how to refuse cigarette offers... more Objective: Forming implementation intentions (if-then plans) about how to refuse cigarette offers plus anti-smoking messages was tested for reducing adolescent smoking. Method: Cluster randomized controlled trial with schools randomized (1:1) to receive implementation intention intervention and messages targeting not smoking (intervention) or completing homework (control). Adolescents (11-12 years at baseline) formed implementation intentions and read messages on eight occasions over four years meaning masking treatment allocation was not possible. Outcomes were: follow-up (48 months) ever smoking, any smoking in last 30 days, regular smoking, and breath carbon monoxide levels. Analyses excluded baseline ever smokers, controlled for clustering by schools and examined effects of controlling for demographic variables. Economic evaluation (incremental cost effectiveness ratio; ICER) was conducted. Trial is registered (ISRCTN27596806). Results: Schools were randomly allocated (September-October 2012) to intervention (n=25) or control (n=23). At follow-up, among 6155 baseline never smokers from 45 retained schools, ever smoking was significantly lower (RR = 0•83, 95%CI = 0•71, 0•97, p = •016) in intervention (29•3%) compared to control (35•8%) and remained so controlling for demographics. Similar patterns observed for any smoking in last 30 days. Less consistent effects were observed for regular smoking and breath carbon monoxide levels. Economic analysis yielded an ICER of $134 per ever smoker avoided at age 15-16 years. Conclusions: This pragmatic trial supports the use of repeated implementation intentions about how to refuse the offer of a cigarette plus anti-smoking messages as an effective and cost-effective intervention to reduce smoking initiation in adolescents.