Lec 1

Question 1

4 characteristics of SC

Define SR

Answer 1

• You need to have 2 things conflicting w/ each other
• Conflicting desires are (sometimes) temporally asymmetric
• Self-control is phenomenologically effortful, even aversive
• It is based on executive function, specifically inhibition

SR

• Self-regulation: super-ordinate category that includes self-control (resolving conflict b/w 2 competing goals) and other things

Question 2

Experience sampling (Hoffman et al 2012)

• Methods
• Results
  
  • Size of pie
  • Darker pie
  • Most frequent desires
  • Strong desires
  • Not strong desires for addicts
  • Most conflict
  • Most self-control failure

Answer 2

• Experience sampling (Hoffman et al 2012)
  
  • Methods: ppl download an app, and were pinged 7 times a day for a week
  • Each time they were pinged, they were asked what they are thinking about
    
    • Ex. Are you desiring smth now?
    • If yes, what do you desire?
      
      • Ex. I want to sleep
    • How strong is the desire?
      
      • I am tired, so the desire is quite strong
    • Does the desire conflict w/ a personal goals?
      
      • Ex. I am walking my dog rn, and this conflicts w/ my desire to go home and sleep
  • Results
    
    • Size of pie: bigger = more frequent desire
    • Darker pie = more likely to fail in self control
  • Frequent desire = to eat, drink, and sleep
  • Strong desire = to sleep, have sex, and go pee
  • Desires that conflict w/ our goals = leisure, sleep, and spending
  • WE especially bad at controlling our desire to check social media and to work

Question 3

• Strategies to ward of desires

Answer 3

• Strategies to ward of desires
  
  • Look for distraction (ex. do a new activity)
  • Suppressing it directly
  • Toughing their way through