摘要
自我控制在跨期选择中起着重要的作用。个体自我控制资源的损耗(简称自我耗损)会影响其随后需要自控参与的认知和行为活动,这称之为自我损耗后效。本研究利用双任务范式考察了不同特质自控者在跨期选择中自我损耗后效的差异,旨在进一步探讨自我控制对跨期选择的作用机制。结果发现,自我损耗使低自控者在跨期选择中更倾向于选择较小即时奖赏,而对高自控者的跨期选择倾向没有显著影响。这些结果说明,特质自控对个体跨期选择的影响起着主导作用,而状态自控对个体跨期选择的影响因人而异。本研究为不同自控特质个体更好地进行跨期决策提供了一定的理论依据。
Intertemporal choices are choices that individuals were forced to make between two amounts of money attained in different delay time. Despite the large number of studies which have shown that self-control plays an important role in intertemporal choices, it still remains unclear on how self-control modulates individual behaviors in intertemporal choices.The limited resource of self-control theory suggests that the self-control needs self-control resources. Individuals’ self-control resources, like their muscle energy, are limited in a specific period of time. After performing some cognitive tasks that need self-control, individuals may exhibit temporary ego depletion, which in turn leads to a decrease of self-control ability, resulting in irrational behavior in subsequent cognitive tasks. The depletion of self-control resources(also called "ego depletion") reduces other subsequent cognitive performances that need it, which is called "ego depletion effect" or the "post-effect of ego depletion".Although some studies have revealed post-effect of ego depletion in intertemporal choices, i.e. ego depletion can lead individuals to prefer smaller-immediate rewards in subsequent intertemporal choices, no study has specifically explored whether self-depletion has the same effect on high and low self-control-traits individuals in intertemporal choices. Therefore, using dual-task paradigms, the present study intended to investigate this question. Based on the previous studies, we hypothesized in the present study that the same ego depletion might have a greater impact on the low selfcontrol-traits individuals in intertemporal choices, whereas it had less or no impact on high self-control-traits individuals.In the present experiment, 59 high self-controllers and 60 low self-controllers were selected by using the Self-control Scale. Then they were divided into a high ego depletion group and a low ego depletion group randomly(30 high self-control participants and 30 low self-control participants in the high ego depletion group, 29 high self-control participants and 30 low self-control participants in the low depletion group). They were asked to engage in the pre-test task of intertemporal choices, and then perform the Stroop task which was used to induce ego depletion. Finally, they were asked to implement the post-test task of intertemporal choices. The results showed that, compared with the high self-controllers, the ego depletion resulted in the low self-controllers’ further preference for smaller-immediate rewards in intertemporal choices.In summary, the present study further examined the ego depletion effect on individuals with different self-control ability in intertemporal choices. The results showed that ego deplete made the low self-controllers more inclined to smaller-immediate rewards in intertemporal choices, while its influence on the high self-controllers was not significant. These results further confirmed the vital role of self-control trait in intertemporal choices. These outcomes also provided guidance for individuals with different traits in making rational intertemporal choices in their daily life.
作者
索涛
顾本柏
张辰炎
刘雷
Suo Tao;Gu Benbo;Zhang Chenyan;Liu Lei(Institute of Psychology & Behavior, Institute of Cognition, Brain & Health, School of Education Science, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004;Nanjing Meng Bao Rui Bei Education Technology Co. Ltd, Nanjing,210046;College of Teacher Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo,315211)
出处
《心理科学》
CSSCI
CSCD
北大核心
2018年第6期1443-1449,共7页
Journal of Psychological Science
基金
国家自然科学基金青年项目(31400908)
浙江省自然科学基金项目(LQ17C090002)
河南省哲学社科规划项目(2015BJY007)
河南省高等学校重点科研项目(16A190001)的资助
关键词
跨期选择
特质自控
高自控者
低自控者
自我损耗
intertemporal choice
self-control trait
high self-controller
low self-controller
ego depletion
