Table 2.
Overview of former research—commitment and goal setting.
| Source | Main methodology used | Main target behavior(s) | Effect of commitment confirmed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andor et al. (2020a) | Meta-analysis of field experimental studies | Energy conservation | No effect (results for self-set goals) |
| Small decrease in energy consumption (results for externally set goals) | |||
| Barata et al. (2017) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect |
| Bell et al. (2016) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | Moderate increase in self-reported energy conservation behaviors |
| Ghesla et al. (2020) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect (result for the “goal” treatment) |
| Legault et al. (2020) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect (result for the motivational and goal-setting intervention) |
| Lokhorst et al. (2015) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect on most behaviors, but a large increase in room temperature setting (i.e., an increase in energy consumption) |
| Loock et al. (2013) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect to small decrease in energy consumption (depending on treatment) |
| Löschel et al. (2020) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect |
| Shen et al. (2019) | Field experiment | Energy conservation | No effect |
| van der Werff et al. (2019) | Field experiment | Completely switching off unused appliances (instead of using standby) | No effect |