Lab Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

2026

• Tyner, A., Abaayo, A.L., Daley, M.,… *McMillan, G., Milyavskaya, M.,… Nosek, B., Errington, T.M. (2026). Investigating the replicability of the social and behavioral sciences. Nature.
• *Thorne, T., Milyavskaya, M., & Leduc-Cummings (2026). Individual differences in the variability of goal dimensions: A generalization of Kiendl et al (2025). European Journal of Personality.
• Chun, N.Y.M., Simpson, A., Ntoumanis, N., Willis, C., Milyavskaya, M., Budden, T. (2026). Exploring goal flexibility and mental health in university students: A qualitative approach. Stress and Health.
• Bürgler. S., Milyavskaya, M., McMillan, G., Burns, R. J., Lally, P. & Gardner, B. (2026). What makes a habit? Investigating potential determinants of habit formation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
• Wenzel, M., Friese, M., Hofmann, W., Milyavskaya, M., Radtke, T., Saunders, B., Bernecker, K. (2026). Beyond resistance: Understanding trait self-control through strategic indulgence. Social Psychological and Personality Science.
• Milyavskaya, M. & *Werner, K. (2026). An integrative model of goal pursuit. Advances in Motivation Science.
• Milyavskaya, M., *Thorne, T., *Sullivan, M., *Esselink, N. (2026). Goals across time frames and temporal landmarks: Do time of year and goal age influence goal perceptions? Psychological Reports.

2025

• *Thorne, T., *Leduc-Cummings, I., *Gennara, A., Milyavskaya, M., *Harwood, M., *Kisil, C., *Micucci, S. (2025). Exploring goal change in everyday life. Personality Science.
• *Soltendieck, R., Milyavskaya, M., *Thorne, T., *Gennara, A. (2025). Investigating goal difficulty and goal motivation as moderators of the association between sleep quality and goal progress. Collabra: Psychology.
• Saunders, B., Milyavskaya, M., More, K., Anderson, J. (2025). Food cravings are associated with increased self-regulation, even in the face of strong instigation habits: A longitudinal study of the transition to plant-based eating. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.
• Calderon, S. Mac Giolla, E., Asl, K.,… Milyavskaya, M., … Luke, T. J.,(2025). Effects of psychological distance on mental abstraction: A registered report of four tests of construal level theory. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science.
• Phills, C., Miller, J. K., PhD, Buchanan, E. M., …*Werner, K. M., *Wang, J., Milyavskaya, M.,…Kekecs, Z. (2025). Multi-region investigation of ‘man’ as default in attitudes. PLOS one.
• Chen, S-C., Szabelska, A., Chartier, C. R., Kecks, Z., Lynott, D., …*Werner, K. M., *Wang, J., Milyavskaya, M., …Ropovik, I. (2025). Investigating Object Orientation Effects Across 18 Languages. Current Psychology.

2024

• Milyavskaya, M., *Thorne, T., *Sullivan, M. (2024). From willpower to strategies: Existing insights and outstanding issues in self-control strategy use in daily life. Current Opinion in Psychology.
• *Leduc-Cummings, I., Milyavskaya, M., Howard, A., & Drapeau, M. (2024). Depressive symptoms and goal pursuit: Between-person and reciprocal within-person effects in a multi-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Clinical Psychology.
• Atance, C., Dueck, K., Castro, A., Kamawar, D., Milyavskaya, M., Gallito, E. (2024). The effects of cognitive and environmental factors on children’s early saving. Cognitive Development.
• Howard, A. L., Lamb, M., Alexander, S. M., Bradley, A. H. M., Carnrite, K. D., Milyavskaya, M., Barker, E. T., & Patrick, M. E. (2024). Planned and unplanned drinking to get drunk: A Registered Report examining willingness, drinking motives, and protective behavioral strategies using ecological momentary assessment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

2023

• Benita, M., Arbel, R., & Milyavskaya, M. (2023). Autonomous vs. Controlled Personal Goals Differentially Predict Goal Progress and Well-Being through Emotion Regulation Styles. Motivation Science.
• *Gennara, A., Peetz, J., & Milyavskaya, M. (2023). When more is less: Self-control strategies are seen as less indicative of self-control than just willpower. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
• Jerome, E., Kamawar, D., Milyavskaya, M., & Atance, C. (2023). Preschoolers’ saving: The role of budgeting and psychological distance. Cognitive Development.

2022

• Saunders, B., Milyavskaya, M., & Inzlicht, M. (2022). Longitudinal evidence that Event Related Potential measures of self-regulation do not predict everyday goal pursuit. Nature Communications.
• Leduc-Cummings, I., Werner, K.M, Milyavskaya, M., Dominick, J., Cole, S (2022). Experiencing obstacles during goal pursuit: The role of goal motivation and trait self-control. Journal of Research in Personality.
• Leduc-Cummings, I., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A.C., Koestner, R., & Drapeau, M. (2022). All Goals Are Equal: No Interactions Between Depressive Symptoms and Goal Characteristics on Goal Progress. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.
• Kolbuszewska, M., Milyavskaya,, & Anderson, J. (2022). Autonomous Motivation, Goal-Facilitating Behaviours, and Dietary Goal Progress in Individuals Transitioning to a Veg*n Diet: A Longitudinal Study. Frontiers Psychology (special topic on Reducing Consumption of Animal Products).
• Vohs, K., Schmeichel, B., Lohmann, S., Gronau, Q., Finley, A., …Capaldi, J.,… Milyavskaya, M.,… Shaw, M.,… Werner, K. M., … Wagenmakers, E-J., Albarracin, D., (2022). A multi-site, preregistered, paradigmatic test of the ego depletion effect. Psychological Science.
• McMillan, G., & Milyavskaya, M. (2022). The case for social support as social assistance: when social means to personal goal pursuit enhance agency (invited commentary). Psychological Inquiry, 33, 46-53.
• Milyavskaya, M., Leduc-Cummings, I., Carnrite, K., Richards. C., Yee, J. (2022). A Goal by Any Other Name: Effects of Different Goal Elicitation Methods on Goal Pursuit. Personality Science.

2021

• Peetz, J., & Milyavskaya, M. (2021). A self-determination theory approach to predicting daily prosocial behavior. Motivation & Emotion.
• Milyavskaya, M., Galla, B., Inzlicht, M., & Duckworth, A. (2021). More effort, less fatigue: The Role of Interest in Increasing Effort and Reducing Mental Fatigue. Frontiers Psychology.
• Milyavskaya, M., Saunders, B., & Inzlicht, M. (2021). Self-control in daily life: Prevalence and effectiveness of diverse self-control strategies. Journal of Personality. Advance online publication.
• Levine, S., Tabri, N., & Milyavskaya, M. (2021). Trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms over time in the transition to university: Their co-occurrence and the role of self-critical perfectionism. Development and Psychopathology.
• Smyth, A. & Milyavskaya, M. (2021). Mindfully motivated: Brief mindfulness meditation enhances motivation towards personal goals but not an anagram task. European Journal of Social Psychology, 51, 758-772.
• Levine, S., Milyavskaya, M., Powers, T.A., Holding, A.C., & Koestner, R. (2021). Autonomous motivation and support flourishes for individuals higher in collaborative personality factors: agreeableness, assisted autonomy striving and secure attachment. Journal of Personality, 89, 899-914.

2020

• Peetz, J., Milyavskaya, M., & Kammrath, L. (in press). How partner-satisfying decisions benefit relationships: An experience sampling study. Personal Relationships, 2020, 1-20.
• Levine, S. L., Holding, A. C., Milyavskaya, M., Powers, T. A., & Koestner, R. (2020). Collaborative autonomy: The dynamic relations between personal goal autonomy and perceived autonomy support in emerging adulthood results in positive affect and goal progress. Motivation Science. Advance online publication.
• Koestner, R., Powers, T. A., Holding, A. C., Hope, N., & Milyavskaya, M. (2020). The relation of parental support of emerging adults’ goals to well-being over time: The mediating roles of goal progress and autonomy need satisfaction. Motivation Science. Advance online publication.
• Smyth, A., Werner, K., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A., & Koestner, R. (2020). Do mindful people set better goals? Investigating the relation between trait mindfulness, self-concordance, and goal progress. Journal of Research in Personality, 88: 10415.
• Wang, J., & Milyavskaya, M. (2020). Simple pleasures: How goal-aligned behaviors relate to state happiness. Motivation Science, 6(2), 156-163.
• Peetz, J., Milyavskaya, M., & Davydenko, M. (2020). When time on task is seen as a reward: Autonomous motivation increases preference for pursuing goals more often for less time. Collabra: Psychology, 6(1), 13-21.
• Levine, S. L., Milyavskaya, M., & Zuroff, D. (2020). Perfectionism in the transition to university: Comparing diathesis-stress and downward spiral models of depressive symptoms. Clinical Psychological Science, 8(1), 52-64.

2019

• Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., Klimo, R., & Levine, S. (2019). Examining the unique and combined effects of grit, self-control, and conscientiousness in predicting academic goal motivation: A commonality analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 81, 168-175.
• Milyavskaya, M., Berkman, E., & De Ridder, D. (2019). The many faces of self-control: Tacit assumptions and recommendations to deal with them. Motivation Science, 5(1), 79-85.
• Milyavskaya, M., Inzlicht, M., Johnson, T., & Larson, M. J. (2019). Reward sensitivity following boredom and cognitive effort: A high-powered neuropsychological investigation. Neuropsychologica, 123, 159-168.
• Davydenko, M., Werner, K. M., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). Frozen goals: Identifying a new type of goal. Collabra: Psychology, 5(1): 17.
• Levine, S., Green-Demers, I., Werner, K. M., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). Perfectionism in adolescents: Self-critical perfectionism as a predictor of depressive symptoms across the school year. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38(1), 70-86.
• Nguyen, T. T., Werner, K. M., & Soenens, B. (2019). Embracing me-time: Motivation for solitude during transition to college. Motivation and Emotion, 43(4), 571-591.
• Bagheri, L., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). Novelty – variety as a candidate basic psychological need: New evidence across three studies. Motivation and Emotion, 44(2), 32-53.
• Werner, K. M., Smyth, A., & Milyavskaya, M. (2018). Do narcissists benefit from materialistic pursuits? Examining the relation between narcissistic tendencies, extrinsic values, and well-being. Collabra: Psychology, 5(1): 58. 

2018

• *Werner, K. M., & *Milyavskaya, M. (2018). Motivation and self-regulation: The role of want-to motivation in the processes underlying self-regulation and self-control. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13(1): e12425. *Both authors contributed equally.
• Mills, D. J., Milyavskaya, M., Mettler, J., Heath, N. L. (2018). Exploring the pull and push underlying problem video game use: A Self-Determination Theory perspective. Personality and Individual Differences, 135, 176-181.
• Milyavskaya, M., Saffran, M., Hope, N., & Koestner, R. (2018). Fear of missing out: Prevalence, dynamics, and consequences of experiencing FOMO. Motivation and Emotion, 42(5), 725-737.
• Antunes-Alves, S., Vukovic, B., Kramer, U., Milyavskaya, M., Dobson, K., & Drapeau, M. (2018). Therapist interventions and patient outcomes: Addressing the common versus specific factor debate. Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 20(3), 7-25.
• Francis, Z. L., Milyavskaya, M., Lin, H., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). Development of a within subject, repeated-measures ego depletion paradigm: Inconsistent results and future recommendations. Social Psychology, 49(5), 271-286.
• Antunes-Alves, S., Vukovic, B., Milyavskaya, M., Kramer, U., Dobson, M., & Drapeau, M. (2018). Investigating the effects of therapist accuracy in cognitive behavioural therapy for depression. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 46(5), 605-615.
• Werner, K. M. & Milyavskaya, M. (2018). We may not know what we want, but do we know what we need? Examining the ability to forecast need satisfaction in goal pursuit. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 9(6), 656-663.
• Levine, S. L., & Milyavskaya, M. (2018). Domain-specific perfectionism: An examination of perfectionism beyond the trait-level and its link to well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 74, 56-65.
• Milyavskaya, M., & Werner, K. M. (2018). Goal pursuit: Current state of affairs and directions for future research. Canadian Psychology/Psychology canadienne, 59(2),163-175.
• Mills, D. J., Milyavskaya, M., Mettler, J., Heath, N. L., & Derevensky, J. L. (2018). How do passion for video games and needs frustration explain time spent gaming? British Journal of Social Psychology, 57(2),461-481.
• Tabri, N., Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., & Wohl, M. J. A. (2018). Perfectionism predicts disordered gambling via financially focused self-concept. Journal of Gambling Issues, 38, 252-267.
• Titova, M., Werner, K. M., & Sheldon, K. M. (2018). Translating positive psychology. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 4(3), 211-214.
• Saunders, B., Milyavskaya, M., Etz, A., Randles, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). Reported Self-control is not Meaningfully Associated with Inhibition-related Executive Function: A Bayesian Analysis. Collabra: Psychology, 4(1): 39.

2017

• Mills, D. J., Milyavskaya, M., Heath, N. L., & Derevensky, J. L. (2017). Gaming motivation and problematic video gaming: The role of needs frustration. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48(4), 551-559.
• Levine, S. L., Werner, K. M., & Capaldi, J. S., & Milyavskaya, M. (2017). Let’s play the blame game: The distinct effects of personal standards and self-critical perfectionism on attributions of success and failure during goal pursuit. Journal of Research in Personality, 71, 57-66.
• Carbonneau, N., & Milyavskaya, M. (2017). Your goals or mine? Women’s personal and vicarious eating regulation goals and their partners’ perceptions of support, well-being, and relationship quality. Motivation and Emotion, 41(4), 465-477.
• Leduc-Cummings, I., Milyavskaya, M., & Peetz, J. (2017). Goal motivation and the subjective perception of past and future obstacles. Personality and Individual Differences. 109, 160-165.
• Milyavskaya, M., & Inzlicht, M. (2017). What’s so great about self-control? Examining the importance of effortful self-control and temptation in predicting real-life depletion and goal attainment. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8(6), 603-611.
• Saunders, B., Lin, H., Milyavskaya, M., & Inlzicht, M. (2017). The emotive nature of conflict monitoring in the medial prefrontal cortex. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 119, 31-40.

2016

• Lopez, R., Milyavskaya, M., Hofmann, W., & Heatherton, T. (2016). Motivational and neural correlates of self-control of eating: A combined neuroimaging and experience sampling study in dieting female college students. Appetite, 103, 192-199.
• Lekes, N., Houlfort, N., Milyavskaya, M., Hope, N. & Koestner, R. (2016). The role of intrinsic values for self-growth and community contribution at different life stages: Differentially predicting the vitality of college students and teachers over one year. Personality and Individual Differences, 98, 48-52.
• Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., Foxen-Craft, E., Koestner, R. (2016). Some goals just feel easier: Self-concordance leads to goal progress through subjective ease, not effort. Personality and Individual Differences, 96, 237-242.
• Hope, N., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A.C., & Koestner, R. (2016). The humble path to progress: Goal-specific aspirational content predicts goal progress and goal vitality. Personality and Individual Differences, 90, 99-107.
• Milyavskaya, M., & Nadolny, D. (2018). Health goals among American adults: Prevalence, characteristics, and barriers. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(10), 1350-1355.

2015

• Milyavskaya, M., Inzlicht, M., Hope, N. & Koestner, R.(2015). Saying ‘No’ to temptation: ‘want-to’ motivation improves self-regulation by reducing temptation rather than by increasing self-control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(4), 677-693.
• Saunders, B., Milyavskaya, M., & Inzlicht, M. (2015). What does cognitive control feel like? Effective and ineffective cognitive control is associated with divergent phenomenology. Psychophysiology, 52(9), 1205-1217.
• Milyavskaya, M., Nadolny, D., & Koestner, R. (2015). Why do people set more self-concordant goals in need satisfying domains? Testing authenticity as a mediator. Personality and Individual Differences, 77, 131-136.
• Saunders, B., Milyavskaya, M., & Inzlicht, M. (2015). Variation in cognitive control as emotion regulation. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 108-115.
• Harvey, B., Milyavskaya, M.,  Hope, N., Saffran, M., Powers, T.A., & Koestner, R. (2015). Affect variation across days of the week: Influences of perfectionism and academic motivation. Motivation and Emotion, 39(4),  521-530.
• Chua, S., Carbonneau, N., Milyavskaya, M., & Koestner, R. (2015). Beyond the self in self-control: The role of relational interdependent self-construal in goal pursuit. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32(3), 330-343.
• Koestner, R., Powers, T.A., Milyavskaya, M., Carbonneau, N., & Hope, N. (2015). Goal internalization and persistence as a function of autonomous and directive forms of goal support. Journal of Personality, 83(2), 179-190.

2014

• Milyavskaya, M., Nadolny, D., & Koestner, R. (2014). Where do self-concordant goals come from? The role of domain-specific psychological need satisfaction. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(6), 700-711.
• Milyavskaya, M., Harvey, B., Koestner, R., Powers, T., Rosenbaum, J., Ianakieva, I., &  Prior, A. (2014). Affect across the year: How perfectionism influences the pattern of University students’ affect across the calendar year. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 33(2), 124-142.
• Hope, N., Koestner, R., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A. (2014). Self-growth in the college years: Increased importance of intrinsic values predicts resolution of identity and intimacy stages. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(6), 705-712.
• Hope, N., Koestner, R., Milyavskaya, M. (2014). The role of self-compassion in goal pursuit and well-being among university freshmen. Self and Identity, 13(5), 579-593.

2013

• Milyavskaya, M., Philippe, F., & Koestner, R. (2013). Psychological need satisfaction across levels of experience: The contribution of specific-level need satisfaction to general well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 47(1), 41-51.
• Milyavskaya, M. & Lydon, J. (2013). Strong but insecure: Examining the prevalence and correlates of insecure attachment bonds with attachment figures. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(5), 529-544.

2012

• Koestner, R., Powers, T.A., Carbonneau, N., Milyavskaya, M., & Chua, S. (2012). Distinguishing autonomous and directive forms of goal support: Their effects of goal progress, relationship quality, and personal well-being. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(12), 1609-1620.
• Powers, T.A., Milyavskaya, M., & Koestner, R. (2012). Mediating the effects of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism on goal pursuit. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(7), 765-770.
• Milyavskaya, M., Ianakieva, I., Foxen-Craft, E., Colantuoni, A., & Koestner, R. (2012). Inspired to get there: the effects of trait and goal inspiration on goal progress. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(1), 56-60.
• Milyavskaya, M., McClure, M.J., Ma, D., Koestner, R., & Lydon, J. (2012). Attachment moderates the effects of autonomy-supportive and controlling interpersonal primes on intrinsic motivation. Canadian Journal of Behaviour Science, 44(4), 278-287.

2011

• Radel, R., Pelletier, L., Sarazzin, P., & Milyavskaya, M. (2011). Restoration process of the need for autonomy: the early alarm stage. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 101(5), 919-934.
• Powers, T.A., Koestner, R., Zuroff, D.C., Milyavskaya, M., & Gorin, A. (2011). The effects of self-criticism and self-oriented perfectionism on goal pursuit. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(7), 964-975.
• Milyavskaya, M. & Koestner, R. (2011). Psychological needs, motivation, and well-being: A test of Self-Determination Theory across multiple domains. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(3), 387-391.

2010

• Milyavskaya, M., Reoch, J., Koestner, R., & Loisier, G.F. (2010). Seeking social connectedness: Interdependent self-construal and impression formation using photographic cues of social connectedness. Journal of Social Psychology, 150(6), 689-702.
• Baldwin, M., Baccus, J., & Milyavskaya, M. (2010). Computer game associating self-concept to images of acceptance can reduce adolescents’ aggressiveness in response to social rejection. Cognition & Emotion, 24(5), 855-862.

2009

• Milyavskaya, M., Gingras, I.,  Mageau, G., Koestner, R., Gagnon, H., Fang, J., & Boiche, J. (2009). Balance across contexts: The importance of balanced need satisfaction across various life domains. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(8), 1031-1045.
• Cohen, L., Milyavskaya, M., & Koestner, R. (2009). The internalization of religious values by children attending orthodox jewish schools, and its relationship to autonomy-supportive parenting and adjustment. Journal of Jewish Education, 75(4), 350-363.

Pre-Prints

• McMillan, G., Werner, K., Svoboda, R., & Milyavskaya, M. (2020). The why and what of academic goals, their perceived value, and relation to academic goal pursuit. Working paper available on PsyArXiv.
• Werner, K., Sjåstad, H., Milyavskaya, M., & Hofmann, W. (2020). Planning for success: Trait self-control predicts goal attainment through the use of implementation intentions. Working paper available on PsyArXiv.
• Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., & Koestner, R. (2018). Examining the role of approach-avoidance and autonomous-controlled motivation in predicting goal progress over time. Working paper available on PsyArXiv.

Book Chapters

• Carbonneau, N., Milyavskaya, M., & Lavinge, G. L. (in press). On health and appearance-oriented eating regulation goals: A look at personal and vicarious goals. In C. Pracana et M Wang (Éds.), Psychology Applications & Developments III. Lisbonne, Portugal: inScience Press.
• Milyavskaya, M., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). Attentional and motivational mechanisms of self-control. In D. T. D. de Ridder, M. Adriaanse, & K. Fujita (Eds.), Handbook of self-control in health & well-being (pp. 11-23). New York, NY: Routledge.
• Leduc-Cummings, I., Werner, K. M., & Milyavskaya, M. (2018). Self-regulation. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. Shackleford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer.

Honours Theses

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