Self-control enables people to make decisions that can promote overall well-being. Such decisions include refraining from overeating or the decision to motivate individuals to persevere when faced with difficulties. The purpose of this study was to determine if not requiring the expenditure of self-control and boosting self-esteem would enable participants to persist longer at a task designed to measure self-control than participants who were required to expend self-control and received an ego threat. No significant main effects were found for self-control manipulations, F (1, 223) = .54, p = .46, or for self-esteem manipulations, F (1, 223) = .01, p = .91. No significant interaction effects were found. F(3, 219) = .785, p =.503.

The strength model of self-control suggests that self-regulation and self-control processes are governed by finite internal energy resources. However, this perspective has recently come under scrutiny suggesting that self-control processes are not solely constrained to limited resources and may also be guided by motivational-cognitive processing. Self-efficacy theory and control theory are two theoretical views of self-regulation that also suggest self-regulation failures are dependent on motivational-cognitive processes; however the potential role of limited resources has not been evaluated in the context of these theoretical views. This dissertation sought to advance our understanding of self-regulation and self-control of exercise behaviour by integrating the three theoretical perspectives discussed above. Study 1 showed that self-control depletion leads to reductions in task self-efficacy mediating the self-control depletion – negative performance change relationship. Overall, findings are consistent with self-efficacy theory. However the results are limited as the mechanism(s) leading to reduced self-efficacy following self-control depletion remain unclear. Study 2 explored a sequential (serial) mediation model investigating the idea that exerting self-control leads to an altered psychophysiological state increasing subjective fatigue, which in turn, leads to reduced self-efficacy to exert self-control and reductions in physical self-control performance. Findings supported the proposed sequential mediation model. However, it remains unclear to what extent that self-efficacy plays a passive or active role guiding self-controlled behaviour following self-control depletion. Study 3 explored the independent and interactive effects of self-control depletion and normative performance feedback on self-efficacy and physical self-control. Findings showed an interaction between self-control depletion and feedback. Findings support predictions of control theory when self-control resources are intact, but suggest feedback information is processed differently when self-control strength is depleted. Overall, results show that when self-efficacy is manipulated by feedback the effects of self-control depletion on performance are no longer evident supporting self-efficacy’s role as an active causal mechanism determining behaviour. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Self-control failures are at the heart of many societal problems. A dominant theoretical view suggests self-control is governed by a limited internal resource. However, this perspective has recently been opposed by theorizing and evidence suggesting that people experience self-control failures due to shifts in motivational-cognitive processes. This thesis integrated three theories of self-control (i.e., strength model of self-control, control theory, and self-efficacy theory) in an attempt to provide a more complete understanding of why self-control failures occur for people performing demanding physical exercise. Findings suggest that each theoretical perspective provides complementary explanations for why self-control failures occur and how they can be overcome through shifts in cognitive processing. Specifically, self-control exertion leads to subjective fatigue, which decreases self-efficacy to exert self-control, and in turn reduces self-control performance. Furthermore, after self-control exertion, positive normative performance feedback increases self-efficacy and subsequent self-control performance whereas negative feedback drastically reduces self-efficacy and performance.

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Psychological aspects of evidence evaluation: Abstract The diploma thesis focuses on the topic of judging and decision-making within the process of evidence evaluation. Its main goal is to identify and describe cognitive illusions which can have a negative impact on the process of evidence evaluation. The mutual position of psychology and law in also considered within introductory chapters. The decision making of the judges is initially described by theoretical models. Three cognitive illusions that are essential for evidence evaluation are described in the following chapter. It is anchoring heuristic, hindsight bias and confirmation bias. Eventually risks, which these cognitive illusions represent for evidence evaluation, are described and forms of countermeasures are discussed. One chapter of the thesis is devoted to the description of ego depletion, which could pose another limit for the process of evidence evaluation. Ego depletion describes decline of self-control in cases which demand conscious effort. The judges are probably in a risk of ego depletion. This phenomenon can lead to higher vulnerability towards cognitive illusions and stronger tendency to maintain status quo. Possible countermeasures are described and discussed on one hand against anchoring, hindsight and confirmation bias and on the...

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-08-07T16:53:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Teixeira da Rosa_.pdf: 1605905 bytes, checksum: 5cb877c9b680cc4ddb29a75154a95f95 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-07T16:53:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Teixeira da Rosa_.pdf: 1605905 bytes, checksum: 5cb877c9b680cc4ddb29a75154a95f95 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-04 / Nenhuma / Não existe um processo claro de como as pessoas tomam decisões, além das particularidades no que tange à percepções, julgamentos e representações, a sensação de possuir energia disponível e a ativação de uma informação no momento da escolha pode impactar o processo decisório. Com o objetivo de preencher essa lacuna, o presente estudo buscou verificar se o distanciamento psicológico (temporal) afeta a tomada de decisão, bem como se a vitalidade subjetiva e o ego depletion podem alterar essas respostas. Para comprovar empiricamente esses argumentos, foram realizados três estudos experimentais. O Estudo 1 validou a hipótese de que a informação ativa (autocontrole e indulgência) tem influência nas decisões de um futuro próximo, não acontecendo o mesmo em um futuro distante. O segundo experimento buscou verificar se o modelo do Estudo 1 se altera quando o indivíduo está em um estado de ego depletion, a conclusão foi de que na condição de autocontrole o processo se modifica; quando a pessoa está com a informação ativa de autocontrole e logo após estiver em um estado de baixa energia (ego depletion) as decisões de um futuro próximo serão indulgentes e de um futuro distante as decisões serão controladas, logo, pode-se perceber que no Estudo 2 ocorreu o inverso do Estudo 1. Entretanto, no Estudo 2 não foi possível comprovar que as decisões de um futuro próximo e distante são diferentes quando a informação ativa é de indulgência. Por fim, no Estudo 3, os resultados encontrados demonstram que quando a informação ativa for de autocontrole ela irá se potencializar no futuro próximo, concluindo-se que quando a informação ativa for de autocontrole e após de vitalidade subjetiva as decisões de um futuro próximo serão mais conservadoras e de um futuro distante mais indulgentes, de maneira significativa. / There is no clear process to know how people take decisions despite the particularities regarding perceptions, judgments and representations, the sensation of having available energy and the information activation when choosing something can impact the decision process. Aiming to fulfill this gap, the present study sought to verify if the psychological distance (temporal) affects the decision making as if the subjective vitality and the ego depletion can modify those answers. It was made three experimental studies to empirically prove the arguments. The study number 1 confirmed the hypothesis that the active information (self-control and indulgence) has influence in a near future decisions but not happening the same in a distant future. The second experiment sought to check if the model of study 1 modifies when the person is in an ego depletion moment, being concluded that the process modifies when in the self-control condition. When the individual is with active information of self-control and if in the sequence falls in a state of low energy (ego depletion), the decisions in a near future will be indulgent while those of a distant future will be controlled, it can be perceived that the study number 2 demonstrated the opposite of what happened in the study number 1. Nevertheless in the study number 2 it was not possible to prove that the decisions of a near and a distant future are different when the active information is of indulgence. Finally, in the study number 3, the achieved results showed that when the active information is of self-control, it is going to be maximized in a near future, concluding that when the active information is of self-control and later of subjective vitality the near future decisions will be more conservative and of a distant future more indulgent in a significant way.

Decisions are performatives - or at least, they share important features with performative utterances that can elucidate our theory of what type of thought they are, and what they do. Namely, decisions have an analogous force to that of performatives, where the force of a propositional attitude or utterance is constituted by (i) its point, or purpose, which is mainly a matter of its direction-of-fit, and (ii) its felicity conditions. The force of both decisions and performatives is to bring into being the states of affairs represented in their intentional contents, merely in virtue of the decision or performative’s occurrence and the satisfaction of the felicity conditions they presuppose. The first chapter of the thesis explicates this general framework, and the second and third attempt to show some of the work it can do for a theory of decisions.

Well-being at work is of major public interest, and justice at the workplace can be a key factor contributing to employees and managers feeling well. Research has found direct relationships between organizational justice perceptions and work and health outcomes. With research on the justice–health link still emerging, this thesis examines the moderating and mediating processes for the effects of justice perceptions on work outcomes and especially health outcomes. As little is known about those who enact justice, the antecedents and consequences of justice enactment are also studied. In Study I, the relationships between organizational justice and work and health outcomes were in focus, as the moderating role of job characteristics was investigated utilizing the demand–control(–support) model. Organizational justice and job characteristics were associated with work and health outcomes within and across time. The multiplicative effects showed that the organizational justice effects were stronger when perceived job demands were high, job control was low or social support was low. Study II examined the processes through which justice perceptions translate into health outcomes. Building on the allostatic load model, mental preoccupation with work was found to be a relevant mediator of the justice–health relationship, with locus of control moderating the mediated relationships. Study III focused on the actor perspective. Investigating predictions based on the deontic model of justice and ego-depletion theory, moral regard and justice self-efficacy predicted justice enactment positively, and justice enactment had positive effects on feeling professionally recognized but also negative health consequences for the actors themselves. This thesis contributes to advancing the emergent justice–health research stream by providing insights into the processes underlying these aspects, and by incorporating this stream into the actor perspective. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted.</p>

Ego depletion theory postulates that the ability to exert self-control depends upon the availability of a limited mental resource. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of ego depletion on risky decision-making. We also examined the moderating effect emotional intelligence may have on this relationship. First, participants completed a trait emotional intelligence questionnaire and a self-control task. This was followed by a mood questionnaire and a series of risky-decision scenarios. Results showed (1) participants who were depleted made more risky decisions than non-depleted participants, (2) no differences in perceived task effort between groups, (3) no evidence of a moderating effect for emotional intelligence and (4) depleted participants were more aroused and their moods were more negative than non-depleted participants. Taken together, these results imply that ego depletion enhances the inclination to take risks and that decisions involving risks should not be made under these conditions.