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Self‐control depletion impairs goal maintenance: A meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Dang Junhua,
Björklund Fredrik,
Bäckström Martin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12371
Subject(s) - ego depletion , psychology , self control , cognition , control (management) , exertion , task (project management) , cognitive psychology , id, ego and super ego , meta analysis , developmental psychology , social psychology , neuroscience , medicine , management , economics , physical therapy
Initial exertion of self‐control has been suggested to impair subsequent self‐regulatory performance. The specific cognitive processes that underlie this ego depletion effect have rarely been examined. Drawing on the dual‐process theory of executive control (Engle & Kane, [Engle, R. W., 2004]; Kane & Engle, [Kane, M. J., 2003]), the current meta‐analysis revealed that initial self‐control exertion impairs participants’ capacities of maintaining the task goal but its effect on capacities of resolving response competition is in need of further investigation. Our results are more consistent with recent theoretical views that consider ego depletion as a switch cost and a result arising from reduced motivation to engage in further self‐control.