A series of three experiments were conducted to investigate the efficacy of self-monitoring for inducing weight loss as a function of goal-setting and unit of behavior monitored. The purpose of the pilot experiment was to provide a preliminary view of the usefulness of restraint monitoring as compared to caloric intake monitoring for weight reduction, of the contribution of goal-setting instructions to self-monitoring effectiveness, and of the use of implicit as compared to explicit goals in combination with restraint monitoring. Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 were both designed to look at the influence of various goal levels on the effects of self-monitoring, with the difference that caloric intake and restraint served as the unit of monitoring in Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 respectively. The analysis of the results indicated that restraint monitoring was as effective as caloric intake monitoring for inducing weight loss at the end of a 4-week period, that the effects of self-monitoring as a function of goal-setting varied according to the monitoring unit utilized, that the use of implicit goals in combination with restraint monitoring produced the same effects as the use of explicit goals, and that different levels of either caloric intake or restraint goal did not differentially influence self-monitoring effectiveness. The implications of these results were discussed and suggestions for follow-up research were proposed.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/10865 |
Date | January 1978 |
Creators | Baron, Pierre. |
Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis |
Format | 190 p. |
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