scholarly journals Development of a Within-Subject, Repeated-Measures Ego Depletion Paradigm: Inconsistent Results and Future Recommendations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoë Lynn Francis ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya ◽  
Hause Lin ◽  
Michael Inzlicht
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Control Performance ◽  
Subjective Fatigue ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Limited Statistical Power

The ego-depletion effect is currently under scrutiny for low replicability, possibly reflecting the limited statistical power available in between-subject designs. In response, we created a within-subject, repeated-measures ego-depletion paradigm that repeatedly alternated depletion and recovery manipulations. Each manipulation was followed by measuring subjective fatigue, mood, and self-control performance. Across twelve studies (N = 754), participants reliably reported having less energy and lower mood after depleting manipulations compared to after recovery manipulations. Depletion manipulations did not consistently affect behavioral self-control, although the small effect was meta-analytically significant (d = .045). Furthermore, unintended fatigue and practice effects occurred over the course of the paradigm, systematically interfering with the intended depletion effects. We recommend that depletion research take advantage of within-subject designs without using repeated-measures.

Development of a Within-Subject, Repeated-Measures Ego-Depletion Paradigm

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 271-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoë Francis ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya ◽  
Hause Lin ◽  
Michael Inzlicht
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Lower Energy ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Control Performance ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Limited Statistical Power

Abstract. Ego depletion is under scrutiny for low replicability, possibly reflecting the limited statistical power available in between-subject designs. In response, we created a within-subject, repeated-measures ego-depletion paradigm that repeatedly alternated depletion and recovery manipulations. Each manipulation was followed by measuring subjective fatigue, mood, and self-control performance. Across 12 studies (N = 754), participants reliably reported having lower energy and mood after depleting manipulations compared to after recovery manipulations. Depletion manipulations did not consistently affect behavioral self-control, although the depletion effect was meta-analytically significant (d = .045). Furthermore, unintended fatigue and practice effects occurred over the course of the paradigm, systematically interfering with the intended depletion effects. We recommend that depletion research takes advantage of within-subject designs across multiple sessions to avoid spillover effects between measurements.

scholarly journals Bored Into Depletion? Toward a Tentative Integration of Perceived Self-Control Exertion and Boredom as Guiding Signals for Goal-Directed Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1272-1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanja Wolff ◽  
Corinna S. Martarelli
Keyword(s):  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Strength Model ◽  
Control Performance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Working Model ◽  
Societal Relevance ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Control Research ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

During the past two decades, self-control research has been dominated by the strength model of self-control, which is built on the premise that the capacity for self-control is a limited global resource that can become temporarily depleted, resulting in a state called ego depletion. The foundations of ego depletion have recently been questioned. Thus, although self-control is among the most researched psychological concepts with high societal relevance, an inconsistent body of literature limits our understanding of how self-control operates. Here, we propose that the inconsistencies are partly due to a confound that has unknowingly and systematically been introduced into the ego-depletion research: boredom. We propose that boredom might affect results of self-control research by placing an unwanted demand on self-control and signaling that one should explore behavioral alternatives. To account for boredom in self-controlled behavior, we provide a working model that integrates evidence from reward-based models of self-control and recent theorizing on boredom to explain the effects of both self-control exertion and boredom on subsequent self-control performance. We propose that task-induced boredom should be systematically monitored in self-control research to assess the validity of the ego-depletion effect.

scholarly journals Task Duration and Task Order do not Matter: No Effect on Self-Control Performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanja Wolff ◽  
Vanda Sieber ◽  
Maik Bieleke ◽  
Chris Englert
Keyword(s):  
Limited Resource ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Control Performance ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Task Duration ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Task Variation

The strength model of self-control proposes that all acts of self-control are energized by one global limited resource that becomes temporarily depleted by a primary self-control task, leading to impaired self-control performance in secondary self-control tasks. However, failed replications have cast doubt on the existence of this so-called ego depletion effect. Here, we investigated between-task (i.e. variation in self-control tasks) and within-task variation (i.e. task duration) as possible explanations for the conflicting literature on ego depletion effects. In a high-powered experiment (N = 709 participants), we used two established self-control tasks (Stroop task, transcription task) to test how variations in the duration of primary and secondary self-control tasks (2, 4, 8, or 16 minutes per task) affect the occurrence of an ego depletion effect (i.e., impaired performance in the secondary task). In line with the ego depletion hypothesis, subjects perceived longer lasting secondary tasks as more self-control demanding. Contrary to the ego depletion hypothesis, however, performance did neither suffer from prior self-control exertion, nor as a function of task duration. If anything, performance tended to improve when the primary self-control task lasted longer. These effects did not differ between the two self-control tasks, suggesting that the observed null findings were independent of task type.

scholarly journals Bored into depletion? Towards a tentative integration of perceived self-control exertion and boredom as guiding signals for goal-directed behavior

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanja Wolff ◽  
Corinna Martarelli
Keyword(s):  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Strength Model ◽  
Control Performance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Working Model ◽  
Societal Relevance ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Control Research ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

During the past two decades, self-control research has been dominated by the strength model of self-control which is built on the premise that the capacity for self-control is a limited global resource that can become temporarily depleted, resulting in a state called ego depletion. The foundations of ego depletion have recently been questioned. Thus, although self-control is among the most researched psychological concepts with high societal relevance, an inconsistent body of literature limits our understanding of how self-control operates. Here, we propose that the inconsistencies are partly due to a confound that has unknowingly and systematically been introduced into ego depletion research: Boredom. We propose that boredom might affect results of self-control research by 1) placing an unwanted self-control demand, and 2) signaling that one should explore behavioral alternatives. To account for boredom in self-controlled behavior, we provide a working model that integrates evidence from reward-based models of self-control and recent theorizing on boredom to explain effects of both self-control exertion and boredom on subsequent self-control performance. We propose that task-induced boredom should be systematically monitored in self-control research to assess the validity of the ego depletion effect.

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.

Ego Depletion

2019 ◽  
pp. 111-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Muraven ◽  
Jacek Buczny ◽  
Kyle F. Law
Keyword(s):  
Limited Resource ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Ego Strength ◽  
Loss Of Self ◽  
Comprehensive Theory ◽  
Depletion Effect

Self-control all too often fails. Despite people’s best intentions and considerable negative outcomes, people often find themselves at the losing end of resisting temptation, combating urges, and changing their behavior. One reason for these failures may be that exerting self-control depletes a limited resource (ego depletion) that is necessary for the success of self-control. Hence, after exerting self-control, individuals are less able resist temptations, fight urges, or stop a behavior that results in a loss of self-control. This chapter reviews the evidence for this theory in a wide variety of domains and examines what behaviors appear to deplete ego strength and how depletion affects behavior. A comprehensive theory that examines how depletion operates is put forth and used to examine some factors that might moderate the depletion effect.

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.

Is Ego Depletion Real? An Analysis of Arguments

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malte Friese ◽  
David D. Loschelder ◽  
Karolin Gieseler ◽  
Julius Frankenbach ◽  
Michael Inzlicht
Keyword(s):  
Publication Bias ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
True Effect ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Abundant Evidence ◽  
Control Failure ◽  
Future Work

An influential line of research suggests that initial bouts of self-control increase the susceptibility to self-control failure (ego depletion effect). Despite seemingly abundant evidence, some researchers have suggested that evidence for ego depletion was the sole result of publication bias and p-hacking, with the true effect being indistinguishable from zero. Here, we examine (a) whether the evidence brought forward against ego depletion will convince a proponent that ego depletion does not exist and (b) whether arguments that could be brought forward in defense of ego depletion will convince a skeptic that ego depletion does exist. We conclude that despite several hundred published studies, the available evidence is inconclusive. Both additional empirical and theoretical works are needed to make a compelling case for either side of the debate. We discuss necessary steps for future work toward this aim.

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 Construal level and ego depletion influence on self-control performance of military personnel with and without burnout

IBRO Reports ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. S460-S461
Author(s):  
Alexander Unger ◽  
Julie Papastamatelou ◽  
Lening A. Olivera-Figueroa
Keyword(s):  
Military Personnel ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Construal Level ◽  
Control Performance
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