Reducing Procrastination by Scaffolding the Formation of Implementation Intentions

Abstract

This thesis analyses and addresses the question of how assistive technology can support people in forming effective implementation intentions, in order to overcome the selfundermining behavior of procrastination. Currently, very little is known about how such a purportedly private and mental process as intention formation can effectively be supported by an external system, especially without jeopardizing people's autonomy. To facilitate a better understanding of this area, this thesis surveys the existing research in this field and describes a novel software application (`ii-app') developed by the author for studying the effectiveness of different approaches to intention formation support. In addition, it proposes concrete empirical experiments using the ii-app that will enhance our knowledge of the intention formation process, effective support mechanisms, and their relation to autonomy.