Perceived goal ownership, regulatory goal cognition, and health behavior change

Objective: To investigate the links among perceived goal ownership, regulatory goal cognition, and health behavior change. Methods: A sample of 390 college students completed measures of (a) perceived goal ownership for a goal related to a health behavior that they, their dating partner, or both were seeking to change, (b) 9 aspects of regulatory goal cognition, and (c) health behavior change. Results: As compared to participants with self-set and joint-set goals, participants with partner-set goals reported less adaptive regulatory goal cognition and were less likely to report positive changes in health behavior. Conclusion: Efforts to change dating partner's health behaviors should be framed as joint-set goals.