Goals 4: Self Control

What is self control?

• suppression/overriding of automatic, habitual, or innate behaviors, urges, desires, or emotions that might disrupt goal directed actions

According to strength model of self-control, what does self-control draw on?

• all acts of self-control draws on central, limited resource

What is ego depletion?

• exerting self control on one domain depletes ability to exert it in another domain

What is the classic radish/cookie study on ego depletion?

• 2 groups doing some study (Ps asked to skip meal before)

  • fresh baked cookies in lab

  • group 1 - ate radishes (after smelling the cookies in the lab)

  • group 2 - ate cookies

  • group 3 - came in only for puzzle (control)

• Ps started doing mentally draining task/puzzle

• Radish eaters made fewer attempts, gave up sooner than cookie eaters, and control participants (who only did the puzzle)

What are challenges to the ego-depletion theory?

• theory suggests self-control is finite but studies challenge this

• motivation can override depletion effects

  • ppl perform just as well w/ incentives

• beliefs about depletion shape performance

  • if told task is “mentally exhausting” → perform worse after

  • if told task is “energizing” → perform fine after

• implicit theories of willpower matter

  • those who believe willpower is unlimited don’t show depletion effects

• perhaps ego-depletion is less about ability and more about willingness to exert effort

What are some empirical challenges to ego-depletion?

Hagger et al. (2010)

• conducted large meta-analysis & moderate effect size, suggesting exerting self-control on 1 task impairs performance on subsequent tasks requiring self-control

Carter & McCullough (2014)

• re-examined data & argued that publication bias (only publish significant results) inflated effect size

• when adjusted for bias, effect shrunk to nearly zero

Hagger et al. (2016) → replicability project

• conducted large scale, multi-lab replication study w/ over 2k participants using standardized depletion task

• found no significant evidence for ego depletion

What are some conceptual challenges to ego-depletion?

• lack of clear definitions

  • self-control is often described vaguely (inhibition, control, modification of behaviour), making it hard to measure consistently

• circular task selection & lack of validation

  • many studies justify tasks simply bc they’ve been used before (even tho widely vary in cognitive demands)

  • many self-control tasks haven’t been empirically tested to ensure they actually measure self-control

  • same task sometimes labeled as depletion task in one study and control task in another

Example of ego depletion in real world? [Hand Hygiene in Hospitals]

• hand hygiene compliance in hospitals analyzed using healthcare workers & hand hygiene opportunities

• compliance rates dropped by ~8.7% from start to end of typical 12H shift

  • higher intensity led → steeper decline

• longer breaks between shift → restored compliance

• both decline during shift + benefits of break were stronger for those who worked more total hours in the preceding week

  • cumulative work hours mattered

What are some strategies for resisting temptation? (Trait self-control)

• cognitive reframing & strategic attentional deployment reduces temptation

• shifting focus away from object’s most tempting features

• e.g. kids who imagined marshmallow as fluffy cloud or white ball were better at resisting (same w/ kids who distracted selves)

What are some of the life outcomes of delayed gratification? (trait self control)

• correlation between ability to delay gratification at age 4 & desirable outcomes later in life:

  • higher SAT scores

  • lower rates of substance dependence

  • higher income & SES

  • better interpersonal functioning

Does trait self-control marshmallow study replicate?

• subsequent replication with modified (shortened) version of task and larger, more representative sample

• Significant correlation b/w performance on modified marshmallow task & subsequent academic achievement (but not behavioural problems)

  • effect much smaller than in original study

• effect further diminished when controlling for background characteristics (e.g. family income, maternal education) & earlier tests of cognitive functioning

• some of the design choices complicate interpretation of the findings

What might self-control be influenced by if not will-power? (+Study?)

• instead of willpower…

• maybe self-control is influenced by whether children believe their actions will lead to rewards

Research Study:

• both groups waited for second marshmallow, one got marshmallow (reliable), the other didn’t - “we ran out” (unreliable)

• later: children who learned waiting was rewarded (reliable condition) waited much longer for a second marshmallow than those who were taught waiting brought no reward (unreliable condition)

What is the life history theory?

• individuals adapt their strategies based on environmental stability

• in predictable environments → prioritize immediate rewards

  • “fast” strategy

• in stable environments → more likely to invest in long-term goals

  • “slow” strategy

What does other research on trait-self control show?

• extensive evidence that childhood self-control predicts better outcomes in adulthood

Longitudinal study following 1000 ppl from birth into adulthood:

• children rated as higher in self-control → wealthier, less likely to commit crime, lower rates of substance dependence, better physical health

• effects independent of intelligence, socioeconomic status, and family background

How does trait self-control relate to state self-control?

• experience sampling research shows that trait self-control is related to less, not more state self-control

• people high in trait self-control don’t spend more time exercising self-control, rather they experience fewer problematic desires

What is situation selection / precommitment?

• proactive strategies to design our environment or lock in decisions with aim of reducing future temptations

Examples:

• not having unhealthy snacks at home

• setting up automatic transfer to savings

• tying yourself to ship mast to resist siren songs (odysseus)

How might some measures of trait self-control tap into conscientiousness? How might conscientiousness

• conscientiousness is multifaceted construct:

  • self control

  • industriousness = strong work ethic, enjoyment of effort

  • responsibility = following through on commitments and being accountable to others

  • traditionalism = valuing societal norms and rules

• perhaps conscientious individuals are more likely to internalize “virtuous desires”

Can self-control be trained?

• guiding hypothesis: practicing self-control in one area can lead to improvements in other areas of life

• mixed findings → some support, but heterogeneity in effect sizes

• possible mechanisms:

  • changes in self-perception?

  • learning to love effort?

What is self-compassion?

• ability to treat ourselves with kindness during struggles

  • promotes more open, less defensive stance

• self-compassion interventions found to increase self-regulation

• remember self-control failures are normal!

• may be particularly important for individuals high in conscientiousness

  • despite associated with greater well-being, people high in trait suffer greater hits to well-being following major setbacks