A series of meta-analytic tests of the depletion effect: Self-control does not seem to rely on a limited resource

Failures of self-control are thought to underlie various important behaviors (e.g., addiction, violence, obesity, poor academic achievement). The modern conceptualization of self-control failure has been heavily influenced by the idea that self-control functions as if it relied upon a limited physio...

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Veröffentlicht in:Journal of experimental psychology. General Jg. 144; H. 4; S. 796 - 815
Hauptverfasser: Carter, Evan C, Kofler, Lilly M, Forster, Daniel E, McCullough, Michael E
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States 01.08.2015
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ISSN:1939-2222
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Zusammenfassung:Failures of self-control are thought to underlie various important behaviors (e.g., addiction, violence, obesity, poor academic achievement). The modern conceptualization of self-control failure has been heavily influenced by the idea that self-control functions as if it relied upon a limited physiological or cognitive resource. This view of self-control has inspired hundreds of experiments designed to test the prediction that acts of self-control are more likely to fail when they follow previous acts of self-control (the depletion effect). Here, we evaluated the empirical evidence for this effect with a series of focused, meta-analytic tests that address the limitations in prior appraisals of the evidence. We find very little evidence that the depletion effect is a real phenomenon, at least when assessed with the methods most frequently used in the laboratory. Our results strongly challenge the idea that self-control functions as if it relies on a limited psychological or physical resource.
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ISSN:1939-2222
DOI:10.1037/xge0000083