Effect of Ego Depletion and Expectancy Beliefs on Working Memory, Problem Solving, Task Persistence, and Performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-253
Author(s):  
Adnan Adil ◽  
Asmara Kanwal ◽  
Saba Ghayas ◽  
Anam Khan
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Task Persistence ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Will Power ◽  
And Task

The present study was undertaken to examine the influence of ego depletion and expectancy beliefs (EB) about the limited will power of self-control on task performance and task persistence through a 2 (ego depleted vs. non-ego depleted group) x 3 (group with positive EB, group with negative EB, and the group without any EB) between subject experimental design. The participants (N = 210) were undergraduates of University of Sargodha who were randomly distributed to each of the six treatment conditions. Ego Depletion Task (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998) and Feedback Task (Fried & Aronson, 1995) were adapted for the manipulation of the independent variables. Working memory (WM) was assessed through Digit Symbol Coding subscale of WAIS (Wechsler, 1997) and scores and time taken on an anagram task (Clarkson, Hirt, Jia, & Alexander, 2010) operationalized performance on problem-solving and task persistence, respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the participants in the non-depleted group had significantly higher mean scores on problem-solving and WM tasks than those of their counterparts in the ego-depleted group. The group with the positive EB had the highest mean scores on WM and problem-solving tasks as compared to the other groups. The interaction effect of beliefs about limited will power of selfcontrol and ego depletion remained nonsignificant. Limitations and recommendations for future research were reflected upon.

scholarly journals Effects of Self-Control on Subjective Well-Being: Examining the Moderating Role of Trait and State Motivation

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guojun Zhao ◽  
Fusen Xie ◽  
Yuchen Luo ◽  
Yixuan Liu ◽  
Yuan Chong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
State Motivation ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Moderating Role

It is well documented that self-control has a positive effect on individuals’ subjective well-being. However, little research has focused on the moderators underlying this relationship. The present research used two studies to examine the moderating role of both trait and state motivation on the relationship between self-control and subjective well-being using psychometric and experimental models, respectively. In Study 1, we explored whether trait motivation (including promotion vs. prevention motivation) moderated the relationship between trait self-control and subjective well-being using a psychometric model. In Study 2, we examined the moderating effects of both trait and state motivation on the effect of state self-control (measured via ego depletion) on subjective well-being using an experimental model. Our results indicated that self-control had a positive effect on subjective well-being, with this relationship being primarily moderated by prevention motivation. When state and trait prevention motivations were congruent, self-control had the most obvious impact on subjective well-being. This study suggests that current understandings around the association between self-control and happiness is limited, implying that motivation should be the focus of future research.

Moving Toward Accurate Assessment of Working Memory in Adults With Neurogenically Based Communication Disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bijoyaa Mohapatra ◽  
Jacqueline Laures-Gore
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Test Construction ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Modality Effects ◽  
Memory Assessment ◽  
Response Modality ◽  
And Task

Purpose This article presents a viewpoint highlighting concerns regarding currently available assessments of working memory in adults with neurogenic communication disorders. Additionally, we provide recommendations for improving working memory assessment in this population. Method This viewpoint includes a critique of clinical and experimental working memory tests relevant to speech-language pathologists. We consider the terminology used to describe memory, as well as discuss language demands and test construction. Results Clinical and experimental testing of working memory in adults with neurogenic communication disorders is challenged due to theoretical, methodological, and practical limitations. The major limitations are characterized as linguistic and task demands, presentation and response modality effects, test administration, and scoring parameters. Taking these limitations into consideration, several modifications to working memory testing and their relevance to neurogenic populations are discussed. Conclusions The recommendations provided in this article can better guide clinicians and researchers to advocate for improved tests of working memory in adults with neurogenic communication disorders. Future research should continue to address these concerns and consider our recommendations.

Affect, Motivation, Working Memory, and Mathematics

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex M. Moore ◽  
Nathan O. Rudig ◽  
Mark H. Ashcraft
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Choking Under Pressure ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Mathematics

This article reviews the topics of affect, motivation, working memory, and their relationships to mathematics learning and performance. The underlying factors of interest, motivation, self-efficacy, and maths anxiety, as well as an approach concerning people’s beliefs about fixed versus malleable intelligence, can be grouped into an approach and an avoidance constellation of attitudes and beliefs, with opposite relationships to outcome measures of learning and mastery in maths. This article then considers the research on working memory, showing it to be central to arithmetic and maths processing, and also the principle mental component being disrupted by affective and emotional reactions during problem solving. After discussing the disruptive effects of maths anxiety, choking under pressure, and stereotype threat, the article closes with a brief consideration of how these affective disruptions might be minimized or eliminated.

Self-Regulation, Engagement, Motivation, and Performance in a Simulated Quality Control Task

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 944-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kraig L. Schell ◽  
Ellen C. Melton ◽  
Abbie Woodruff ◽  
G. Brandon Corbin
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Error Detection ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Task Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Lower Specificity ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Task

This study examined how self-regulation and task-related motivation were related to the accuracy of error detection and task engagement in a simulated quality control task that mimicked prescription-checking behavior in a pharmacy. Ninety-one participants completed measures of self-regulation, task engagement, and task-related motivation and then checked 80 simulated scripts with inserted error ratios ranging from 26% to 38%. Motivation and task engagement were assessed at the beginning of the task, the midpoint of the task, and after the task was over. Performance was measured in terms of sensitivity (error detections) and specificity (false alarm responses). Results indicated that motivation was correlated with higher sensitivity, while self-regulation was correlated with lower specificity. Higher mid-task motivation and higher self-regulation were also predictive of greater task engagement at the midpoint of the task only. Results are discussed and future research directions are proposed.

scholarly journals The self-control consequences of political ideology

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (27) ◽  
pp. 8250-8253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua J. Clarkson ◽  
John R. Chambers ◽  
Edward R. Hirt ◽  
Ashley S. Otto ◽  
Frank R. Kardes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Task Persistence ◽  
Critical Difference ◽  
Attention Regulation ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
And Task

Evidence from three studies reveals a critical difference in self-control as a function of political ideology. Specifically, greater endorsement of political conservatism (versus liberalism) was associated with greater attention regulation and task persistence. Moreover, this relationship is shown to stem from varying beliefs in freewill; specifically, the association between political ideology and self-control is mediated by differences in the extent to which belief in freewill is endorsed, is independent of task performance or motivation, and is reversed when freewill is perceived to impede (rather than enhance) self-control. Collectively, these findings offer insight into the self-control consequences of political ideology by detailing conditions under which conservatives and liberals are better suited to engage in self-control and outlining the role of freewill beliefs in determining these conditions.

scholarly journals Do people avoid mental effort after facing a highly demanding task?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolin Gieseler ◽  
Michael Inzlicht ◽  
Malte Friese
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mental Effort ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Depletion Effect ◽  
Effort Choice

Ego depletion effects are usually examined in a sequential task paradigm in which exerting mental effort in a first task is thought to affect performance on a subsequent self-control task. A so-called ego depletion effect is observed if performance on the second task is impaired for the high demand relative to the low demand group. The present studies take a different approach. Instead of measuring performance in the second task that is equally difficult for all participants, the present studies investigated effects of effortful exertion on the choice to willingly exert effort on a subsequent task. Three pre-registered studies investigated if participants select less effort demanding math problems for upcoming tasks compared to a control group after exerting mental effort in an initial task. Results were mixed. Study 1 (N = 86) revealed no significant effect of mental effort exertion on mean choice difficulty. In Study 2 (N = 269), the expected effect emerged in an exploratory analysis when controlling for math self-assessment, which was robustly associated with the choice measure. Study 3 (N = 330) descriptively, albeit non-significantly replicated this result. An internal random-effects meta-analysis revealed a small overall effect of g = 0.18 when accounting for math self-assessment, albeit with large heterogeneity. Exploratory analyses point to the importance of the subjective experience of mental effort in effort-selection paradigms. We discuss the implications of the small overall effect size for future research and the possibility to examine effort choice in everyday life.

scholarly journals Do exhausted primary school students cheat more? A randomized field experiment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260141
Author(s):  
Tamás Keller ◽  
Hubert János Kiss
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Ego Depletion ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Students ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Cheating Behavior ◽  
Depletion Effect

Motivated by the two-decade-long scientific debate over the existence of the ego-depletion effect, our paper contributes to exploring the scope conditions of ego-depletion theory. Specifically, in a randomized experiment, we depleted students’ self-control with a cognitively demanding task that required students’ effort. We measured the effect of depleted self-control on a subsequent task that required self-control to not engage in fraudulent cheating behavior—measured with an incentivized dice-roll task—and tested ego-depletion in a large-scale preregistered field experiment that was similar to real-life situations. We hypothesized that treated students would cheat more. The data confirms the hypothesis and provides causal evidence of the ego-depletion effect. Our results provide new insights into the scope conditions of ego-depletion theory, contribute methodological information for future research, and offer practical guidance for educational policy.

scholarly journals Who's Leading This Dance?: Theorizing Automatic and Strategic Synchrony in Human-Exoskeleton Interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Lawrence Kirkwood ◽  
Christopher D. Otmar ◽  
Mohemmad Hansia
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Wearable Robot ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Wearable Robots ◽  
Methodological Challenges ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
And Performance

Wearable robots are an emerging form of technology that allow organizations to combine the strength, precision, and performance of machines with the flexibility, intelligence, and problem-solving abilities of human wearers. Active exoskeletons are a type of wearable robot that gives wearers the ability to effortlessly lift up to 200 lbs., as well as perform other types of physically demanding tasks that would be too strenuous for most humans. Synchronization between exoskeleton suits and wearers is one of the most challenging requirements to operate these technologies effectively. In this conceptual paper, we extend interpersonal adaption theory (IAT) to the exoskeleton context and explicate (a) the antecedents that are most likely to shape synchrony in human-exoskeleton interactions, (b) automatic and strategic synchrony as adaptive behaviors in human-exoskeleton interactions, and (c) outcome variables that are especially important in these processes. Lastly, we offer a discussion of key methodological challenges for measuring synchrony in human-exoskeleton interactions and offer a future research agenda for this important area.

scholarly journals Persistence targeted smoking cessation for smokers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: a feasibility study

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-162
Author(s):  
Marc L. Steinberg ◽  
Benjamin Billingsley ◽  
Rachel Rosen ◽  
Elizabeth E. Epstein ◽  
Shou-En Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Nicotine Patch ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Task Persistence ◽  
Tobacco Use Disorder ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Session Attendance ◽  
Quitting Smoking ◽  
Therapy Sessions ◽  
And Task

AbstractIntroductionIndividuals with schizophrenia are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit smoking than those without schizophrenia. Because task persistence is lower in smokers with than without schizophrenia, it is possible that lower levels of task persistence may contribute to greater difficulties in quitting smoking observed among smokers with schizophrenia.AimsTo develop a feasible and acceptable intervention for smokers with schizophrenia.MethodsParticipants (N = 24) attended eight weekly individual cognitive behavioral therapy sessions for tobacco use disorder with a focus on increasing task persistence and received 10 weeks of nicotine patch.ResultsIn total, 93.8% of participants rated the intervention as at least a 6 out of 7 regarding how ‘easy to understand’ it was and 81.3% rated the treatment as at least a 6 out of 7 regarding how helpful it was to them. A total of 62.5% attended at least six of the eight sessions and session attendance was positively related to nicotine dependence and age and negatively related to self-efficacy for quitting.DiscussionThis intervention was feasible and acceptable to smokers with schizophrenia. Future research will examine questions appropriate for later stages of therapy development such as initial efficacy of the intervention and task persistence as a mediator of treatment outcome.

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