Definitionv1DF-337
Implementation intentions
pre-committed if-then plans that bind specific environmental situations or temporal moments to desired behaviors, creating heightened perceptual readiness for the specified cue and shifting processing from top-down to bottom-up execution
Why This Is a Definition
This definition precisely captures the mechanism of implementation intentions as a specific cognitive architecture pattern with clear operational characteristics (if-then structure, pre-commitment, perceptual readiness, processing shift). It distinguishes this from general goal intentions and describes the specific neurocognitive mechanism that makes them effective.