Self-Regulation Flashcards
According to research on narrative identity, how does a person’s story typically evolve over time?
A persons narrative identity is dynamic and may change as they encounter new experiences and reinterpret past events
Is The self “me” or “I”?
The self is both the “me” and the “I”
What is The self?
your social identity and your inner processes that enable you to operate your body successfully in society
*The self is dynamic in that it is always in flux dealing with new situations, learning, and adapting
What is Self-Regulation?
The self’s ability to alter its own responses , including thoughts, emotions, impulses, and behaviours based on “standards”
“Self-regulation” is often used interchangeably with “self-control
What are “standards”?
Standards: ideas about how something should or shouldn’t be
What is a Self-Control Dilemma?
Conflict between an immediate urge/ desire vs. a higher order standard/goal
*i.e., temptation
How much time do people spend resisting urges?
Research suggests that people spend about 5-6 hours per day resisting desires and urges
What do we need for good self-regulation?
Good self-regulation often involves successfully resolving self-control dilemmas *i.e., over-riding the immediate urge in favor of the standard/goal
What do we find about delaying gratification?
How do we successfully delay gratification (3 things)
*Delaying gratification is difficult
*Successful delay of gratification in children depended on the implementation of self-regulation strategies:
1) Cognitive strategies, like imagining the marshmallow as something else rather than focusing on how yummy it is
2) Distraction
3) Not looking at the marshmallow
children who were better at delaying gratification at age 4 also…
*Did better academically
*Had higher SAT scores
*Delay of gratification was a better predictor of SAT scores than intelligence at age 4
*Showed better social skills
*Suggests that better self-regulation is associated with better outcomes in adolescence
What were the results of the New Zealand Study?
(Followed a sample of 1000 children from birth to age 32)
*Measured self-control in children ages 5-6 using observational measures
*Assessed physical health, finances, and criminal records at age 32
*Results: Children with poorer self-control had worse outcomes as adults, controlling for intelligence and SES background
- worse health and more financial problem
-more likely to be single parents and more likely to be convicted of a crime
What are the implications of the New Zealand study?
*Self-regulation is difficult but research suggests that it leads to many positive outcomes
*Overall, suggests that good self-regulation is one of the keys to a successful life
Explain the TOTE Model of Self-Regulation?
*Feedback loop model:
- Standard: Identify what is the desired end state of self-regulation
- Test: Monitor level of discrepancy between the current state and the standard
- Operate: Control/ adjust behaviour into the desired direction
- Test: Result of “operate” serves an input for another test
- Exit: Occurs if current state is in line with desired standard
TOTE model highlights that there are 3 main components to good self-regulation:
- Standards
- Monitoring (test)
- Willpower/ capacity for change (operate)
*Good self-regulation involves the efficient operation of all 3 of these
*Difficulties with any one of these 3 components results in difficulties with self-regulation
How to set good standards/goals?
Expectancy-Value Theory?
What is expectancy?
How likely we are to achieve a standard/goal depends on:
*Expectancy: whether we expect that we can accomplish the goal if we attempt it
*More likely to accomplish a goal if we believe that it is achievable
*Highlights importance of setting realistic goals
How to set good standards/goals?
Expectancy-Value Theory?
Value –4 Factors that Foster Motivation
- Importance
- Intrinsic value
- Utility
- Cost
How likely we are to achieve a standard/goal depends on:
Value:
- Importance:
- How significant is this goal
- More important is goal is close to self concept
- How significant is this goal
- Intrinsic value
- Do what extent do you want to do the goal
- For fun vs obligation
- Utility
- How useful is the goal for your life
- Usefulness of a task for long term goals
- How useful is the goal for your life
- Cost
- Time, Money, Boredom
- Ppl procrastinate cuz they are aware of how costly it is
What is the Relationship between Expectancy and Value?
In theory, expectancy and value are separate dimensions
*High value, but low expectancy = hopeless goal
*Low value, but high expectancy = easy, but boring goal
*But, in reality, highly positively correlated, and negatively correlated with cost
*Suggests that they track one another
How do Expectancy and Value Reinforce Each Other?
Expect to do well = Value task more = Do task more = Improve at task = Expect to do well (cycle)
What are the Implications of expectancy and value?
*To foster good self-regulation, set good goals
*“Good” goals/standards are ones that are:
- Achievable and realistic
- Valuable to you
*Or find a way to frame it as valuable to you
*Let go of goals that are costly and don’t feel valuable (important, intrinsic, or useful) to yo
Sophia is enrolled in an advanced math course but struggles to stay motivated. She understands the material and performs well on assignments, but she frequently procrastinates and puts minimal effort into studying. She often says, “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” According to Expectancy-Value Theory, why is Sophia struggling with motivation in this course?
Utility Value
Factors that Interfere with Setting Good Goals:
- Lack of self-knowledge
- Perfectionism
- Self-control dilemma
- Lack of self-knowledge
*Interferes with setting realistic standards (issue with expectancy)
*Lack of clarity on what standards/goals are important and intrinsically motivating (issue with value)
- Perfectionism
*Associated with tendency to set unrealistic goal (issue with expectancy)
- Self-control dilemma
*Increases cost of goal (issue with value)
Each of these increase the chance of failing at a goal
TOTE model highlights that there are 3 main components to good self-regulation?
*Standards
*Monitoring (test)
*Willpower/ capacity for change (operate)
What is Self-awareness?
the capacity to direct attention to oneself (self-focused attention) and engage in thoughts about oneself
How does self awareness work?
automaticallyleads to a state of comparing the self against salient standards
*i.e., self-awareness automatically triggers self-evaluation
As a result, increasing self-awareness often leads to behaving in a way consistent with salient standards (conforming to cultural norms)
What item stimulates self awareness?
The presence of a mirror stimulates self-awareness
*People use more first-person pronouns when sitting in front of a mirror than when not sitting in front of a mirror
Explain the Halloween Study: Does lack of self-awareness lead to more misbehaviour?
Halloween trick-or-treaters (all children) were told to take only one candy but were left alone with the opportunity to take more
*Mirror in front of bucket full of candy
*No mirror in front of bucket full of candy
Results: Children in the mirror condition were more likely to obey the instructions
The presence (vs. absence) of a mirror leads people to?
(And what does this suggest)
*Work faster and harder on a task when instructed to do so
*Behave in more moral ways
*Behave less aggressively
*Behave in a ways that are more consistent with previously stated personal values
Suggests that failure to behave in ways consistent with a standard may be due to lack of self-awareness
What consumable leads to Low Self-Awareness (+Worse Behaviour)
Alcohol reduces self-awareness
*When participants are given alcohol, they use fewer first-person pronouns than participants who consumed a non-alcoholic drink
*In lab settings, participants that are given alcohol (vs. non-alcohol drink) tend to:
*Behave more recklessly
*Spend more money
*Behave more aggressively
*** Suggests that poor behaviour may be due to lack of self-awareness
What is the Implication for of self awareness on self regulation?
Self-awareness is critical for self-regulation
*The process of comparing the self against a standard makes behaviour change possible
*Very difficult to regulate something without closely monitoring it
*** Suggests that if you want to achieve a goal, monitor your progress and foster self-awareness
What is the Ego Depletion Theory?
Self-control/willpower is a limited and general mental resource
*After exerting effort on a task that requires self-control, self-control is impaired such that people will do worse on another task requiring self-control, even if the tasks are unrelated
More likely to give in and eat cookie after task that involves self control
How was ego depletion studied?
Participants completed a baseline handgrip endurance measure
*Watched a sad movie
(told to increase/decrease emotion)
Did hand grip again
FOUND: Participants who had to alter their emotional state had decreased handgrip endurance compared to people who did not have to control emotion
What are Examples of ego depletion reducing performance on second self-control task?
*Looking for and crossing out a particular letter in a text leads to reductions in handgrip endurance
*Writing an essay about attitudes one doesn’t believe in (cognitive dissonance) reduces persistence on a follow-up task
*Suppressing forbidden thoughts leads to giving up more quickly on unsolvable anagram
What is the Evidence that ego depletion increases impulsive, disinhibited behaviour?
*Spend more money on impulsive purchases
*Eating more junk food
*Drink more alcohol
*Fewer sexual inhibitions
*More aggressive responses to being provoked
Mental processes are either automatic or controlled:
What is Automatic mental processes?
Automatic: require few cognitive resources and occur outside of conscious awareness, common for familiar/highly practiced tasks
*E.g. tying your shoes, driving a familiar route
Mental processes are either automatic or controlled:
What is Controlled mental processes?
Controlled: require active, conscious attention and effort, involved in learning new skills or complex situations
*E.g. playing a new musical instrument, solving a complex math problem
Does ego depletion effect automatic or controlled processes?
Ego depletion affects controlled processes, but not automatic ones
*E.g. vocabulary performance (automatic) remains intact after ego depletion but logical reasoning (controlled) is impaired
When can ego depletion be over come?
(What moderates ur test scores on second test)
What does this suggest?
MOTIVATION
Ego depletion can be overcome if people are given an important incentive to do well on the 2nd task
- We will only pay u if u do well
But more ego depleted after this
Suggests that ego depletion effects reflect conservation of willpower, not a complete absence of willpower
*People are managing a limited energy supply by holding back in the present
What are the implications of ego depletion ?
- Self-control/willpower is costly in the short term
- Willpower is a general and limited supply
*All types of self-control draw from this one supply
*People tend to conserve their willpower unless highly motivated in the moment to expend it - Ego depletion explains why people may fail to sometimes achieve their standards/goals
Which of the following scenarios is most consistent with ego depletion theory?
a) Rachel has been practicing the piano for years, and she plays a difficult piece effortlessly without needing to think too much about it
b) Ethan spends an hour mindlessly scrolling through social media. Later, when trying to complete a challenging work assignment, he struggles to focus and gives up quickly
c) Lisa has spent the entire afternoon resisting the temptation to eat sweets while on a strict diet. In the evening she gives in and eats an entire box of cookies
d) Samantha spends two hours intensely focusing on writing a complex research paper. Afterward, she successfully resists the temptation to procrastinate and pushes herself to complete another difficult assignment
c) Lisa has spent the entire afternoon resisting the temptation to eat sweets while on a strict diet. In the evening she gives in and eats an entire box of cookies
What is the Controversy around ego depletion theory?
Some researchers have argued that the ego depletion effect doesn’t exist or that the effect is very small if it does exist
(some studies found the effect was not significantly different from 0)
BUT: another 2021 multi-site replication conducted in 12 labs (1775 participants) showed a small, but significant effect
Why is ego depletion getting these mixed results (3 reasons)?
- Publication bias
- Circumstances
- Reliance on lab studies
- Publication bias
- Studies with not significant result = not published (effect seems bigger then it is) - Circumstances
- Maybe ego depletion shows up in some circumstances and not others
- Maybe it shows up differently in diff ppl - Reliance on lab studies
- which may not reflect what’s going on in the real world
*Field research would help clarify under what circumstances ego depletion exists
