Reducing self‐control depletion effects through enhanced sensitivity to implementation: Evidence from fMRI and behavioral studies

Research suggests self-control relies on a limited set of resources that can be diminished by use. Recent theories posit that there are two stages of self-control: recognizing the need for control and implementing controlled responses. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment and an intervention experiment to investigate whether one or both stages were affected by the prior exercise of self-control. Results from both experiments indicated that only the implementation stage was affected. Further, we demonstrate that self-control can be increased by an intervention designed to boost implementation, as opposed to the recognition of the need to control one's responses.     

自我控制的力量模型

自我控制是人们克服冲动、习惯或自动化的反应,有意识地掌控自己行为方向的能力。自我控制的力量模型认为自我控制的执行会消耗有限的心理能量。力量模型的证据主要来自冲动行为、人际交互以及决策和判断等领域的研究,影响自我控制力量的因素包括人格和个体差异、情绪和动机以及自我控制训练等。自我损耗与疲劳感的区别、动机和信念在自我损耗中的作用以及力量模型的应用价值等是未来研究值得关注的问题。     

自我损耗对运动表现影响的元分析

运用元分析方法考察自我损耗对运动表现影响及其调节变量。通过中英文文献搜索,共纳入31篇文献和37个效应量,总样本量为1613。结果:(1)总体效应量检验发现,运动任务中的自我损耗为中等效应量,d=0.55,95%CI为[0.39,0.71];由于存在发表偏倚性,该中等效应量可能会被高估。(2)调节变量检验发现,自我损耗效应量较少受研究对象来源、研究对象类型和运动任务类型的影响;但受损耗任务类型和技能型任务中压力情境的影响。(3)执行运动任务时,主观体力感、心率和肌电等指标不存在自我损耗效应。这些研究结果支持了自我控制的力量模型具有普遍适用性,自我控制资源的领域普遍性以及自我控制的力量模型与注意控制理论整合的观点。未来研究应严格控制实验条件、拓展运动任务中自我损耗应对和自我控制训练的研究。     

自我损耗对工作记忆的影响及其克服

实验1考察了自我损耗对工作记忆的影响。40名6年级小学生被随机分配到实验组和控制组,分别完成损耗任务和非损耗任务。结果发现,与控制组相比,实验组被试的工作记忆容量明显降低。实验2考察积极情绪能否克服自我损耗对工作记忆的负面影响。40名6年级小学生参加了实验。在完成损耗任务后,采用自传式回忆的方法诱发实验组的积极情绪。结果发现,诱发被试的积极情绪体验,能够克服自我损耗对于工作记忆的消极影响。     

相对剥夺感与大学生网络过激行为:自我损耗的中介作用及性别差异

基于自我损耗理论和性别角色观念,以894名具有网络使用经验的大学生为被试,探讨相对剥夺感与大学生网络过激行为的关系及其作用机制。结果表明：（1）相对剥夺感能够显著正向预测大学生网络过激行为;（2）相对剥夺感通过自我损耗的中介作用预测网络过激行为;（3）性别调节该中介模型的前半路径和直接路径。具体来说,相对于女生,男生的相对剥夺感对自我损耗和网络过激行为的预测作用均更大。研究结论有助于揭示大学生网络过激行为的形成机制及个体差异,对大学生网络过激行为的干预具有参考价值。     

No ego-depletion effect without a good control task

The ego-depletion effect refers to a temporary failure of self-control exertion after first performing an effortful task. This phenomenon has experienced a replication crisis in the past few years. In the present series of experiments, we tried to replicate the ego-depletion effect using a 30-min modified Stroop task tapping two executive functions (inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) as the depleting task. In the first study, we compared the performance of a handgrip endurance task after this depleting task or after a classic control task (i.e., reading color words) and failed to replicate the ego-depletion effect. We showed that the control task induced boredom and subjective fatigue. In a second study, we looked for a better control task and compared the color-word reading task to another possible control task used in the literature (i.e., watching a documentary). Controlling for boredom, subjective fatigue, motivation and affective state, we found that the video task was not boring and did not induce fatigue, drop in motivation or negative affective state, whereas the color-word reading task did. In a third study, we used the video task as the control task and the modified effortful Stroop task used in the first study as the depleting task and succeeded in replicating the ego-depletion effect. This series of experiments illustrates that the choice of an appropriate control task is crucial to observe an ego-depletion effect and that boredom is costly. Consequently, it appears necessary to control for boredom in any future replication study aiming to observe an ego-depletion effect.     

The Cognitive Costs of the Counter-Stereotypic: Gender,Emotion, and Social Presence

We explored the concurrent and subsequent cognitive consequences of the experience of gender counter-stereotypic emotions. Participants experiencing gender counter-stereotypic emotions were expected to display less emotional expression and demonstrate poorer cognitive performance when in the public condition than when in the private condition. Seventy-one women and 66 men completed an anger- or sadness-inducing task privately or publicly. Participants completed two cognitive tasks: one during and one after the emotion-induction task. Participants exhibited poorer performance during and following gender counter-stereotypic emotions only in the public condition. Direct evidence for greater suppression of gender counter-stereotypic emotions in the public conditions was not obtained. These results suggest that the same public emotional events may be differentially cognitively depleting depending on one’s gender, potentially contributing to the perpetuation of stereotypes.     

Exploring the Interplay of Trait Self‐Control and Ego Depletion: Empirical Evidence for Ironic Effects

Trait self‐control (TSC) has been conceptualized as a general and abstract ability to exert self‐regulation across multiple domains that has mostly beneficial effects. However, its relationship to situational depletion of self‐regulatory resources has received little attention. We systematically explore the interplay of trait and situational self‐control in two studies (total N = 264). In contrast with a positive view of TSC, the results show greater ego depletion effects for high (vs. low) self‐control abilities across such diverse domains as candy consumption (Study 1), risk‐taking behaviour (Study 2) and achievement motivation (Study 2). It is proposed that these ironic effects are attributable to high‐TSC individuals' less frequent active inhibition of impulses in everyday life and their resulting lack of experience in resisting acute temptations. A third study (N> = 358) corroborated this general reasoning by showing that TSC is indeed associated with less frequent impulse inhibition in daily routines. Our data point to a downside of dispositional self‐control in ego depletion paradigms. Other explanations and potential future avenues for resolving inconsistent findings across the literature are discussed. Copyright © 2013 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Ego depletion,attentional control,and decision making in sport

ObjectivesAthletes differ at staying focused on performance and avoiding distraction. Drawing on the strength model of self-control we investigated whether athletes do not only differ inter-individually in their disposition of staying focused and avoiding distraction but also intra-individually in their situational availability of focused attention.Design/methodIn the present experiment we hypothesized that basketball players (N = 40) who have sufficient self-control resources will perform relatively better on a computer based decision making task under distraction conditions compared to a group who's self-control resources have been depleted in a prior task requiring self-control.ResultsThe results are in line with the strength model of self-control by demonstrating that an athlete's capability to focus attention relies on the situational availability of self-control strength.ConclusionsThe current results indicate that having sufficient self-control strength in interference rich sport settings is likely to be beneficial for decision making.     

工作压力对建设型和防御型建言的差异影响

以往研究普遍从建言行为的建设性意图特征出发, 探讨其关键前因、产生机制和情境因素, 但却较少关注建言行为的工具性目的。基于资源保存理论, 本研究构建了有调节的中介模型以探讨工作压力影响员工建设型建言和防御型建言的作用机制和边界条件。通过对某建筑企业386名员工进行两阶段调查, 结果表明：工作压力与防御型建言存在正向相关关系, 与建设型建言存在负向相关关系, 自我损耗在其中起中介作用; 另外, 领导开明性正向调节自我损耗和建设型建言的负向相关关系, 并正向调节工作压力通过自我损耗影响建设型建言的间接效应。