How reliable are the effects of self-control training?: A re-examination using self-report and physical measures.

Brian M Lee,Markus Kemmelmeier,Gilles Van Luijtelaar

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0178814

Abstract

In light of recent challenges to the strength model of self-control, our study re-examines the effects of self-control training on established physical and self-report measures of self-control. We also examined whether beliefs about the malleability of self-control qualify any training effects. Participants in the training condition were assigned to increase use of their non-dominant hand for two weeks, and did comply mainly if they held high-malleability beliefs; yet, compared to a control condition, the physical measure of self-control did not improve. This was also evident in a secondary objective measure of self-control, a Stroop task, as well as in self-reported self-control. The discussion focuses on the lack of replication of training effects on self-control.

Highlights

Self-control is one of the most important human endowments, as it allows people to limit impulsive behaviors [1]
Because higher levels of self-control in participants might be linked to completing course-related responsibilities sooner rather than later, we examined whether individual differences related to self-control, malleability beliefs and non-depletability beliefs predicted when in the semester participants joined the study [39, 40]
Again, there was only a trend for individuals with higher malleability beliefs to sign up earlier in the semester, b = -0.76, se = 0.46, p = .105. This is consistent with the notion that believing in the malleability of self-control was part of the motivation of signing up for the study early in the term, as the study was advertised as a self-control training study

Summary

Introduction

Self-control is one of the most important human endowments, as it allows people to limit impulsive behaviors [1]. Poor self-control has been found to be related to numerous problems, such as obesity, criminality, risky sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, as well as other negative outcomes [2,3,4,5,6]. The strength model of self-control argues that self-control behaves like a muscle in that it becomes weakened from active use and people are less successful at using self-control on subsequent tasks which require its use [4]. Repeated use can strengthen self-control, much like exercising a muscle, making it less susceptible to becoming weakened from active use and leading to better subsequent outcomes on tasks which require self-control.

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