The Effect of Ego Depletion on Sprint Start Reaction Time

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 506-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Englert ◽  
Alex Bertrams
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Control Strength ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
False Start ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Practical Implications

In the current study, we consider that optimal sprint start performance requires the self-control of responses. Therefore, start performance should depend on athletes’ self-control strength. We assumed that momentary depletion of self-control strength (ego depletion) would either speed up or slow down the initiation of a sprint start, where an initiation that was sped up would carry the increased risk of a false start. Applying a mixed between- (depletion vs. nondepletion) and within- (before vs. after manipulation of depletion) subjects design, we tested the start reaction times of 37 sport students. We found that participants’ start reaction times decelerated after finishing a depleting task, whereas it remained constant in the nondepletion condition. These results indicate that sprint start performance can be impaired by unrelated preceding actions that lower momentary self-control strength. We discuss practical implications in terms of optimizing sprint starts and related overall sprint performance.

The Effects of Depleted Self-Control Strength on Skill-Based Task Performance

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond McEwan ◽  
Kathleen A. Martin Ginis ◽  
Steven R. Bray
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
Myoelectrical Activity ◽  
Control Strength ◽  
Experimental Group

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of depleted self-control strength on skill-based sports task performance. Sixty-two participants completed the following: a baseline dart-tossing task (20 tosses), with measures of accuracy, reaction time, and myoelectrical activity of the arms taken throughout; a self-control depletion (experimental) or a nondepletion (control) manipulation; and a second round of dart tossing. As hypothesized, participants in the experimental condition had poorer mean accuracy at Round 2 than control condition participants, and a significant decline in accuracy from Round 1 to Round 2. Experimental condition participants also demonstrated poorer consistency in accuracy compared with control condition participants at Round 2 and a significant deterioration in consistency from Round 1 to Round 2. In addition, consistency in reaction time improved significantly for the control group but not for the experimental group. The results of this study provide evidence that ego depletion effects occur in the performance of a skill-based sports task.

scholarly journals Post-Depletion Aggression Restrained: Replicabily of Brief Mindfulness Induction In Indonesian Sample

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cleoputri Yusainy ◽  
Wahyu Wicaksono
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Control Performance ◽  
Competitive Reaction ◽  
Time Task ◽  
Mindfulness Induction ◽  
British Sample

Mindfulness practice is being promoted in Western countries as a means to improve one’s ability to restrain aggression under “depleted” condition. The applicability of this framework in non-Western settings is yet to be determined. This study (N = 119 Indonesian undergraduates) directly replicated Yusainy and Lawrence (2015) experiment with native British sample, to examine the moderation of mindfulness induction on post-depletion aggression (i.e., blast intensity in an adapted competitive reaction-time task). Similar results were obtained, in that mindfulness induction moderated the ego-depletion and (i) blast intensity link under low/moderate provocation, and (ii) self-control performance link after the aggression task. Notably, the benefit of mindfulness was also indicated in our additional aggression measure of the late deliverance of maximum blast in depleted females. While Western operationalisation of mindfulness operates quite similarly across cultures, the inclusion of a subtle measure of aggression appears to be crucial for Indonesian females.

scholarly journals An investigation of the effects of self-reported self-control strength on shooting performance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Englert ◽  
Anna Dziuba ◽  
Wanja Wolff ◽  
Louis-Solal Giboin
Keyword(s):  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Morning Session ◽  
Afternoon Session ◽  
Task Duration ◽  
Control Strength ◽  
Perception Of Self ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Regular Training ◽  
Practical Implications

During professional shooting tournaments, which typically last multiple hours, athletes must stay focused at all times in order to perform at their highest levels. Sustaining attention over extended periods of time relies on self-control. Crucially, perceived state self-control strength appears to wane as a function of task duration, which ultimately can impair shooting performance. In the present study, we tested the assumption that the level of self-reported self-control strength decreases over the course of a 1-hour shooting task measured twice during a regular training day and separated by a 2-hour break. Additionally, we assumed that shooting performance would be linked with fluctuations in self-control. A total of 21 shooters (14 elite and 7 sub-elite) took part in this study and were asked to perform a series of 10 shots at a standardized target, five times in the morning and five times in the afternoon (i.e., 100 shots total). The participants also reported their perceived state self-control strength at the baseline (prior to the start of the morning session as well as the afternoon session) and after a series of 10 shots each in the morning and afternoon (i.e., 12 measurements in total). In line with our hypotheses, we observed that perceived state self-control diminished with the number of shots performed, and that perceived state self-control could explain shooting performance. Additionally, these observations could explain the difference in shooting performance between elite and sub-elite athletes. The results suggest that the perception of self-control strength is highly important for optimal shooting performance. Practical implications are discussed.

Making memorable choices: Cognitive control and the self-choice effect in memory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra Baldwin ◽  
Katie Garrison ◽  
Brandon Schmeichel
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Active Choice ◽  
Unbiased Estimates

The current research tested the effects of active choice on memory (i.e., the self-choice effect). Across 14 experiments (N = 1100) we found that memory for choice alternatives was improved by choosing versus being assigned information to remember. A subset of 3 experiments found a bigger self-choice effect for more difficult choices. And a subset of 6 experiments found that prior acts of self-control reduce the self-choice effect. These findings represent unbiased estimates of the self-choice effect (d = 0. 62), the magnitude of the self-choice effect for easy (d = 0.35) versus more difficult (d = 0.87) choices, and the effect of ego depletion on choice memory (d = 0.39). Discussion centers on the role of cognitive control.

Ego Depletion and Attention Regulation Under Pressure: Is a Temporary Loss of Self-Control Strength Indeed Related to Impaired Attention Regulation?

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Englert ◽  
Kris Zwemmer ◽  
Alex Bertrams ◽  
Raôul R.D. Oudejans
Keyword(s):  
Motor Task ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Attention Regulation ◽  
Control Strength ◽  
Dart Throwing ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Impaired Attention

In the current study we investigated whether ego depletion negatively affects attention regulation under pressure in sports by assessing participants’ dart throwing performance and accompanying gaze behavior. According to the strength model of self-control, the most important aspect of self-control is attention regulation. Because higher levels of state anxiety are associated with impaired attention regulation, we chose a mixed design with ego depletion (yes vs. no) as between-subjects and anxiety level (high vs. low) as within-subjects factor. Participants performed a perceptual-motor task requiring selective attention, namely, dart throwing. In line with our expectations, depleted participants in the high-anxiety condition performed worse and displayed a shorter final fixation on bull’s eye, demonstrating that when one’s self-control strength is depleted, attention regulation under pressure cannot be maintained. This is the first study that directly supports the general assumption that ego depletion is a major factor in influencing attention regulation under pressure.

Anxiety, Ego Depletion, and Sports Performance

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 580-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Englert ◽  
Alex Bertrams
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Sports Performance ◽  
Significant Relation ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Control Strength ◽  
Performance Under Pressure

In the present article, we analyzed the role of self-control strength and state anxiety in sports performance. We tested the hypothesis that self-control strength and state anxiety interact in predicting sports performance on the basis of two studies, each using a different sports task (Study 1: performance in a basketball free throw task, N = 64; Study 2: performance in a dart task, N = 79). The patterns of results were as expected in both studies: Participants with depleted self-control strength performed worse in the specific tasks as their anxiety increased, whereas there was no significant relation for participants with fully available self-control strength. Furthermore, different degrees of available self-control strength did not predict performance in participants who were low in state anxiety, but did in participants who were high in state anxiety. Thus increasing self-control strength could reduce the negative anxiety effects in sports and improve athletes’ performance under pressure.

Actual and Possible Body-Image Self-Schemas in Young Women with Bulimic Tendencies

2003 ◽  
Vol 96 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1123-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Girodo
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Image Schema ◽  
Trait Words

To examine whether information about body image is processed and cognitively organized around a self-concept, two experiments analyzed reaction time and memory for 48 young women with bulimic tendencies. Information was self-referencing to body shape vs trait words and information processing of adjectives referenced to “I dream of” and “I am afraid of” facets of self. Bulimic subjects encoded “fat” adjectives faster when these words were referenced to the present self. Reaction times were also faster to both “thin” and “fat” adjectives when these words were self-referenced to an “I dream of” and to an “I am afraid of” self, respectively. Processing of body-image information depended on which facet of self was activated rather than on the denotative meaning of the stimulus words. Memory for thin and fat adjectives was not related to preoccupation with body image or to which facet of the self was invoked. Findings suggest that an actual body-image schema and a possible body-image schema could coexist for bulimic persons. Such coexistence is necessary for a theory which posits knowledge structures might be dynamically related.

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