The Role of Trait Self-Control in Overriding Dominant Behavior

1. The Role of Trait Self-Control in Overriding Dominant Behavior Ginette Blackhart1 & Sarah E. Ainsworth2 1East Tennessee State University, 2Florida State University • Introduction • Trait self-control (TSC) is the general ability to: • Exercise inhibition toward undesired behavioral tendencies and • Direct behavior toward more desired goals. • TSC predicts behavioral measures of self-control (de Ridder et al., 2012; Schmeichel & Zell, 2007). • Imhoff et al. (2013) found that higher TSC is related to greater self-control depletion when resisting temptation. • Purpose • Present research aimed to examine whether Imhoff et al. (2013) findings would be replicated using a different measure of self-control depletion, overriding or inhibiting dominant responses. • Two studies conducted to determine whether higher TSC is related to greater or less self-control depletion on the Stroop color-word task. • Hypothesis: Lower TSC will relate to greater self-control depletion, exhibited by poorer performance on the Stroop task after depletion. Method • Discussion • Lower TSC depleted participants performed worse on the Stroop task than lower TSC non-depleted participants. • Higher TSC participants also performed better on the Stroop task than lower TSC participants when depleted. • Unexpectedly, higher TSC depleted participants performed marginally better on the Stroop task than higher TSC non-depleted participants in S2. • Current results inconsistent with Imhoff et al. (2013). • Difference in results may be due to: • Use of a different measure of TSC; • Using different measures of behavioral self-control (resisting temptation vs. overriding dominant responses); or • Some other factor. • More research needed to further explore relation between TSC and self-control depletion, especially within different domains of self-control, e.g.,: • Persistence • Controlling emotions • Attention control • Resisting temptation • Inhibiting dominant responses • Study 1 • 61 participants, MAge = 18.84, SD = 1.08. • Randomly assigned to depletion or non-depletion condition and completed attention control task. • Completed BMIS and Stroop color-word task. • Stroop interference scores calculated by subtracting avg. RTs on congruent trials from avg. RTs on incongruent trials. • Completed brief version of Self-Control Scale (Tangney et al., 2004). • Study 2 • 73 participants, MAge = 22.38, SD = 7.47. • Completed brief version of Self-Control Scale (Tangney et al., 2004). • Randomly assigned to depletion or non-depletion condition and completed white bear thought control task. • Completed PANAS and Stroop color-word task. • Stroop interference scores calculated as they were in S1. Higher scores indicate poorer performance. Congruent Trials RED GREEN BLUE BLACK Control Trials XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX Incongruent Trials RED GREEN BLUE BLACK Results • Study 2 • Sig. interaction between exp. cond. and TSC scores, β = -.1.50, p < .05. • Sig. effect of exp. cond. at low levels of TSC, β = .58, p < .05, and marginally sig. effect at high levels of TSC, β = -.51, p = .06. • No difference between experimental conditions on TSC, negative affect, positive affect, effort, or fatigue. • Study 1 • Sig. interaction between exp. cond. and TSC scores, β = -.28, p < .05. • Sig. effect of exp. cond. at low levels of TSC (-1 SD), β = .50, p < .05, but not at high levels of TSC (+1 SD), β = -.10, ns. • TSC scores differed by exp. cond., t(59) = 2.01, p < .05, d = .51. Non-depleted participants reported lower TSC (M = 3.15, SD = .62) scores than depleted participants (M = 3.48, SD = .67). Send correspondence to Ginni Blackhart, Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Email: blackhar@etsu.edu or to Sarah Ainsworth, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Email: ainsworth@psy.fsu.edu.