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What is Ego Depletion? Ultimate and Proximate Accounts of why Self-Control seems (but may not be) Limited| old_uid | 13122 |
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| title | What is Ego Depletion? Ultimate and Proximate Accounts of why Self-Control seems (but may not be) Limited |
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| start_date | 2013/12/03 |
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| schedule | 10h-11h30 |
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| online | no |
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| summary | According to the resource model of self
-
control, overriding one’s predominant response
tendencies consumes and temporarily depletes a limited inner resource. Over 100 experiments
have lent support to aspects of this model by observing tha
t acts of self
-
control at Time 1
reduce performance on subsequent, seemingly unrelated self
-
control tasks at Time 2. But, is
this evidence that self
-
control actually relies on a limited resource? Most experiments never
observe the resource, rather inferrin
g its presence based on performance on the second of two
sequential self
-
control tasks. As the nature of the resource has remained in doubt, findings
have accumulated to challenge the resource model. Is it the resource model anything more
than a metaphor?
In the current talk, I probe the particular cognitive, affective, and
motivational mechanics of self
-
control and its depletion, asking, “What is ego depletion?” In
this talk, I will offer an ultimate and proximate account of depletion that makes no use of
resources. According to my process model, self
-
control at Time 1 leads to shifts in motivation
away from restraint and toward gratification, such that people become less motivated to
control themselves and more motivated to self
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gratify at Time 2. As part
of this motivational
shift, people pay less attention to self
-
control cues and more attention to reward cues. Another
part of this motivational shift is that people become less aroused by the prospect of goal
failure or success and more aroused by the pros
pect of reward and immediate gratification. I
will highlight evidence in support of this model but also highlight where evidence is lacking,
thus providing a blueprint for future research. Though the process model of depletion may
sacrifice the elegance of
the resource metaphor, it paints a more precise picture of ego
depletion and suggests several nuanced predictions for future research. |
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| responsibles | Rigalleau, Croizet |
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