scholarly journals Strong Effort Manipulations Reduce Response Caution: A Preregistered Reinvention of the Ego-Depletion Paradigm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hause Lin ◽  
Blair Saunders ◽  
Malte Friese ◽  
Nathan J. Evans ◽  
Michael Inzlicht
Keyword(s):  
Drift Rate ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Rate Information ◽  
Within Subjects

People feel tired or depleted after exerting mental effort. But even preregistered studies often fail to find effects of exerting effort on behavioral performance in the laboratory or elucidate the underlying psychology. We tested a new paradigm in four preregistered within-subjects studies (N = 686). An initial high-demand task reliably elicited very strong effort phenomenology compared with a low-demand task. Afterward, participants completed a Stroop task. We used drift-diffusion modeling to obtain the boundary (response caution) and drift-rate (information-processing speed) parameters. Bayesian analyses indicated that the high-demand manipulation reduced boundary but not drift rate. Increased effort sensations further predicted reduced boundary. However, our demand manipulation did not affect subsequent inhibition, as assessed with traditional Stroop behavioral measures and additional diffusion-model analyses for conflict tasks. Thus, effort exertion reduced response caution rather than inhibitory control, suggesting that after exerting effort, people disengage and become uninterested in exerting further effort.

scholarly journals Strong Effort Manipulations Reduce Response Caution: A Preregistered Reinvention of the Ego-Depletion Paradigm

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hause Lin ◽  
Blair Saunders ◽  
Malte Friese ◽  
Nathan J. Evans ◽  
Michael Inzlicht
Keyword(s):  
Drift Rate ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Rate Information ◽  
Within Subjects

People feel tired or depleted after exerting mental effort. But even preregistered studies often fail to find effects of exerting effort on behavioral performance in the laboratory or elucidate the underlying psychology. We tested a new paradigm in four preregistered within-subjects studies ( N = 686). An initial high-demand task reliably elicited very strong effort phenomenology compared with a low-demand task. Afterward, participants completed a Stroop task. We used drift-diffusion modeling to obtain the boundary (response caution) and drift-rate (information-processing speed) parameters. Bayesian analyses indicated that the high-demand manipulation reduced boundary but not drift rate. Increased effort sensations further predicted reduced boundary. However, our demand manipulation did not affect subsequent inhibition, as assessed with traditional Stroop behavioral measures and additional diffusion-model analyses for conflict tasks. Thus, effort exertion reduced response caution rather than inhibitory control, suggesting that after exerting effort, people disengage and become uninterested in exerting further effort.

The Limits of Ego Depletion

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 292-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Wenzel ◽  
Marina Lind ◽  
Zarah Rowland ◽  
Daniela Zahn ◽  
Thomas Kubiak
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Interindividual Variability ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Crossover Design ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Within Subjects

Abstract. Evidence on the existence of the ego depletion phenomena as well as the size of the effects and potential moderators and mediators are ambiguous. Building on a crossover design that enables superior statistical power within a single study, we investigated the robustness of the ego depletion effect between and within subjects and moderating and mediating influences of the ego depletion manipulation checks. Our results, based on a sample of 187 participants, demonstrated that (a) the between- and within-subject ego depletion effects only had negligible effect sizes and that there was (b) large interindividual variability that (c) could not be explained by differences in ego depletion manipulation checks. We discuss the implications of these results and outline a future research agenda.

Behavioral evidence for cholecystokinin-opiate interactions in neonatal rats

1988 ◽  
Vol 255 (6) ◽  
pp. R901-R907 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Weller ◽  
E. M. Blass
Keyword(s):  
Dose Range ◽  
Neonatal Rats ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Distress Vocalization ◽  
Rat Pups ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Behavioral Evidence ◽  
Opioid Systems ◽  
Mediated Reduction

In adult mammals, cholecystokinin (CCK)-opiate interactions are complex and task dependent. Specifically, CCK antagonizes opiate effects in some cases, yet acts similarly to opiate agonists in others. The present study used behavioral measures to determine how CCK interacts with opiates in neonatal rats. CCK, at doses of 1 microgram/kg and higher, markedly reduced isolation-induced distress vocalization in rat pups. Moreover, CCK selectively prevented naltrexone antagonism of opiate-mediated reduction in distress vocalization in 3- and 11-day-old rats. Yet CCK did not affect opiate-induced analgesia, as measured by the hot-plate paw-lift response. Thus CCK either did not interact with opiates or did so agonistically, with the same (low) dose range, and within subjects. These findings suggest independence of stress and pain systems in neonatal rats and demonstrate a functional interaction between CCK and opioid systems.

scholarly journals A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect

2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762198973
Author(s):  
Kathleen D. Vohs ◽  
Brandon J. Schmeichel ◽  
Sophie Lohmann ◽  
Quentin F. Gronau ◽  
Anna J. Finley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
Action Orientation ◽  
Replication Method ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Confirmatory Tests ◽  
Nonsignificant Result ◽  
Meta Analyses

We conducted a preregistered multilaboratory project ( k = 36; N = 3,531) to assess the size and robustness of ego-depletion effects using a novel replication method, termed the paradigmatic replication approach. Each laboratory implemented one of two procedures that was intended to manipulate self-control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of self-control. Confirmatory tests found a nonsignificant result ( d = 0.06). Confirmatory Bayesian meta-analyses using an informed-prior hypothesis (δ = 0.30, SD = 0.15) found that the data were 4 times more likely under the null than the alternative hypothesis. Hence, preregistered analyses did not find evidence for a depletion effect. Exploratory analyses on the full sample (i.e., ignoring exclusion criteria) found a statistically significant effect ( d = 0.08); Bayesian analyses showed that the data were about equally likely under the null and informed-prior hypotheses. Exploratory moderator tests suggested that the depletion effect was larger for participants who reported more fatigue but was not moderated by trait self-control, willpower beliefs, or action orientation.

Utility of Diffusion Modeling of Cogstate Brief Battery Test Performance in Detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment

Assessment ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 107319112110690
Author(s):  
Kyler Mulhauser ◽  
Bruno Giordani ◽  
Voyko Kavcic ◽  
L. D. Nicolas May ◽  
Arijit Bhaumik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Testing Data ◽  
Recognition Learning ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Normal Cognition

Cognitive testing data are essential to the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and computerized cognitive testing, such as the Cogstate Brief Battery, has proven helpful in efficiently identifying harbingers of dementia. This study provides a side-by-side comparison of traditional Cogstate outcomes and diffusion modeling of these outcomes in predicting MCI diagnosis. Participants included 257 older adults (160 = normal cognition; 97 = MCI). Results showed that both traditional Cogstate and diffusion modeling analyses predicted MCI diagnosis with acceptable accuracy. Cogstate measures of recognition learning and working memory accuracy and diffusion modeling variable of decision-making efficiency (drift rate) and nondecisional time were most predictive of MCI. While participants with normal cognition demonstrated a change in response caution (boundary separation) when transitioning tasks, participants with MCI did not evidence this change.

scholarly journals Aggressive Realism: More Efficient Processing of Anger in Physically Aggressive Individuals

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-581
Author(s):  
Grace M. Brennan ◽  
Arielle R. Baskin-Sommers
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Physical Aggression ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Emotion Identification ◽  
Bias Drift ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Information Accumulation

Physically aggressive individuals’ heightened tendency to decide that ambiguous faces are angry is thought to contribute to their destructive interpersonal behavior. Although this tendency is commonly attributed to bias, other cognitive processes could account for the emotion-identification patterns observed in physical aggression. Diffusion modeling is a valuable tool for parsing the contributions of several cognitive processes known to influence decision-making, including bias, drift rate (efficiency of information accumulation), and threshold separation (extent of information accumulation). In a sample of 90 incarcerated men, we applied diffusion modeling to an emotion-identification task. Physical aggression was positively associated with drift rate (i.e., more efficient information accumulation) for anger, and drift rate mediated the association between physical aggression and heightened anger identification. Physical aggression was not, however, associated with bias or threshold separation. These findings implicate processing efficiency for anger-related information as a potential mechanism driving aberrant emotion identification in physical aggression.

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.

scholarly journals Opposite reactions to loss incentive by young and older adults: Insights from diffusion modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyesue Jang ◽  
Richard Lewis ◽  
Cindy Lustig
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Retention Interval ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Memory Representation ◽  
Diffusion Modeling

The prospect of loss becomes more salient in later life, and the opportunity to avoid loss is often used to motivate older adults. We examined the effect of loss incentive on working memory in young and older adults. Diffusion-modeling analyses, manipulation of task parameters, and self-report measures identified which aspects of cognitive-motivational processing were most affected within each group. As predicted, loss incentive increased working memory performance and self-reported motivation in young adults, but, consistent with prior work, had the opposite effect in older adults. Diffusion-modeling analyses suggested the primary effect was on the quality of the memory representation (drift rate). Incentive did not interact with retention interval or the number of items in the memory set. Instead, longer retention intervals led to better performance, potentially by improved differentiation between studied items and the unstudied probe as a function of temporal context. Overall, the results do not support theories suggesting that older adults are either more motivated by loss or that they ignore it. Instead, the loss incentive increased young adults' performance and subjective motivation, with opposite effects for older adults. The specific impact on drift rate and lack of interactions with set size or retention interval suggest that rather than affecting load-dependent or strategic processes, the effects occur at a relatively global level related to overall task engagement.

scholarly journals Face masks influence how facial expressions are perceived: A drift-diffusion model of emotion judgments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Craig Williams ◽  
Eisha Haque ◽  
Becky Mai ◽  
Vinod Venkatraman
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Model ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Drift Diffusion Model ◽  
Drift Diffusion ◽  
Lower Face ◽  
Upper Face

Face masks slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but it has been unknown whether masks influence how individuals communicate emotion through facial expressions. Masks could influence how accurately—or how quickly—individuals perceive expressions, and how rapidly they accumulate evidence for emotion. Over two independent pre-registered studies, conducted three and six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, participants judged expressions of 6 emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) with the lower or upper face “masked” or unmasked. Participants in Study 1 (N = 228) identified expressions above chance with lower face masks. However, they were less likely—and slower—to correctly identify these expressions versus without masks, and they accumulated evidence for emotion more slowly—via decreased drift rate in drift-diffusion modeling. This pattern replicated and intensified three months later in Study 2 (N = 264). These data could inform interventions to promote mask wearing by addressing concerns with emotion communication.

scholarly journals Creative or Not? Hierarchical Diffusion Modeling of the Creative Evaluation Process

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Donzallaz ◽  
Julia M. Haaf ◽  
Claire Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Diffusion Modeling ◽  
Drift Diffusion Model ◽  
Evaluation Phase ◽  
Hierarchical Diffusion ◽  
Importance Ratings ◽  
Rating Criteria

When producing creative ideas (i.e., ideas that are original and useful) two main processes occur: ideation, where people brainstorm ideas, and evaluation, where they decide if the ideas are creative or not. While much is known about the ideation phase, the cognitive processes involved in creativity evaluation are largely unclear. In this paper, we present a novel modeling approach for the evaluation phase of creativity. We apply the drift diffusion model (DDM) to the creative-or-not (CON)-task to study the cognitive basis of evaluation and to examine individual differences in the extent to which people take originality and utility into account when evaluating creative ideas. The CON-task is a timed decision-making task where participants indicate whether they find uses for certain objects creative or not (e.g., using a book as a buoy). The different use items vary on the two creativity dimensions ‘originality’ and ‘utility’. In two studies (n = 293, 17806 trials; n = 152, 9291 trials), we found that stimulus originality was strongly related to participants’ drift rate, whereas stimulus utility was only somewhat associated with the drift rate. However, participants differed substantially in the effects of originality and utility. Furthermore, the implicit weights assigned to originality and utility on the CON-task were aligned with self-reported importance ratings of originality and utility and associated with divergent thinking performance. Our findings underline the importance of communicating rating criteria in divergent thinking tasks such as the alternative uses task to ensure a fair assessment of creative ability.

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