自我损耗的研究方法述评

自我控制是个体成功的重要因素，但个体在自我控制的同时，也要为每次控制付出代价，产生自我损耗，导致随后自我控制的失败。本文回顾了双任务范式中诱发、测量、克服自我损耗的方法，认为未来研究应探索任务的有效性、多采用三任务范式等，在克服自我损耗方面，应同时关注短期克服损耗的方法和提高整体控制能力的方法。

A Review on Research Methods of Ego-Depletion

To mention individual success, good self-control is one important factor that cannot be neglected. In the self-control process, however, people always have to pay for every act resulting in ego-depletion. And this may lead to the failure in self-control later. The ego-depletion can be well illustrated by the self-control strength model, which believes that the source of self is limited. If it is used in one task, the other resources of self control will reduce. It leads to that people cannot reach the standard of established self control performance. And then, self-depletion occurs and results in later control failure or reduction. And in the studies researchers usually use the dual-task paradigm. Researchers randomly assign participants into depletion or non-depletion group (or high-depletion or low-depletion group). And the participants are asked to complete two sequential tasks: task 1 (depletion task) and task 2 (performance task). And in the first task, the self-depletion occurs. After the first task has been finished, the measurement of second task closely followed. And it turns out that out of the self resource consumption in the former task, participants of the depletion group behave poorly in the later task. The depletion task and performance task normally take different forms in order to assemble the effect in general. In this article, we draw a review on the methods of ego-depletion, including inducing, measuring and overcoming in the dual-task paradigm. The inducing part includes inhibiting desire, regulating emotions, thought suppression, attention control and so on. And the ego-depletion measuring includes physical stamina, problem-solving task, concentration and vigilance-type task and so on. Moreover, on methods of overcoming ego-depletion we discuss four points: 1) increase the individual’s overall self-control ability; 2) restore individual’s energy of self-control; 3) motivate individual to mobilize more energy to overcome depletion effects; and 4) reduce the energy loss of self-control tasks. Besides, in this article we also concern about the limitations in present ego-depletion studies, and they are: 1) whether in some self-control tasks used cannot reach agreement; 2) Dual-task paradigm is too simple, and more research are needed extra tasks in the future; 3) We need to use physiological indicators instead of behavioral indicators; 4) The methods of overcoming ego-depletion are temporary. Therefore, we suggest that future studies should focus more on the task effectiveness, employ the three-task more frequently and so on. And we believe that future studies will pay more attentions on the methods of short-term effects, while improving the overall control capabilities in the ego-depletion overcoming.