<p>Self control is affected by self-regulatory strength depletion (Hagger et al., 2010) as well as construal-level mindset (Fujita et al., 2006). However, two conflicting perspectives have emerged predicting differential interactive effects of construals and depletion. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the independent and interactive effects of construal levels and self-control strength in an effortful cycling exercise task. Using a randomized 2 X 2 factorial design, undergraduate participants (<em>N </em>= 67, <em>n</em> = 34 women) completed a baseline cycling task, followed by a self-control depletion manipulation (Stroop task vs. quiet rest; Wallace & Baumeister, 2002), a construal-level manipulation (category vs. exemplar naming task; Fujita et al., 2006), and then a 10-minute strenuous cycling test trial. The results showed no main effects for either self-control strength depletion or construal level (<em>p</em> > .20). However there was a near-significant interaction effect (<em>p </em>= .07) indicating the depleted group outperformed the non-depleted group in the low-construal condition, whereas the opposite effect occurred in the high-construal condition. The results provide novel insights of the effects of self-control strength depletion and construal mindsets on exercise performance and implications for the design of construal level and self-control depletion research.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Self-control exertion leads to performance decrements during tasks demanding of muscular and cardiovascular systems (Bray et al., 2008; Marcora et al., 2009). Several reviews have also implicated self-control depletion with the psychobiological state of fatigue (Hagger et al., 2010; Van Cutsem et al., 2017). In this state, individuals have also been noted to report higher levels of perceived exertion when exercising at vigorous intensities (MacMahon et al., 2014; Marcora et al., 2009; Wagstaff et al., 2014). The purpose of this study was to investigate physical performance and ratings of perceived exertion during a self-paced maximum distance cycling trial (MDT) following a short bout of mentally-fatiguing cognitive activity (thought-suppression). Recreationally active participants (N = 16, Mage = 20.94) completed one familiarization session and two testing sessions. All visits were separated by ≥ 72-hours. Control and experimental trials were counterbalanced, with either a 6-minute bout of thought-logging (control) or a 6-minute bout of thought-suppression (experimental) being performed prior to each respective MDT. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were solicited from participants across three sensory domains relevant to MDT task performance (Leg-muscle, Respiration, Mental). Thought-suppression was perceived to be significantly more demanding than the control task, which resulted in significantly higher ratings of mental fatigue (p = 0.04, 2 = 0.26). Distance travelled on the MDT was not significantly different following thought suppression, relative to control trials (p = 0.84, 2 = 0.00). Similarly, a repeated-measures ANOVA showed no differences in HR between conditions (p = 0.95, 2 = 0.00). Despite these similarities, ratings of perceived leg-muscle exertion (RPE-L) were significantly higher during the MDT following thought-suppression (p = 0.05, 2 = 0.24). RPE-R (respiration) and RPE-M (mental) ratings also trended towards higher scores following the experimental manipulation, although they did not differ significantly. RPE-L was perceived to be significantly higher than both RPE-R and RPE-M in both conditions on the MDT (ps < 0.05). RPE-M was rated significantly lower than RPE-L and RPE-R during MDTs in both conditions (ps < 0.05). Results indicate that performing a demanding self-control exertion task for a short duration leads to increased feelings of mental fatigue. The observed levels of fatigue were also associated with higher than normal ratings of perceived exertion during cycling tasks of equal demands and performance. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Any thought, emotion or behaviour that an individual modifies in order to better suit their goals occurs as a result of self-control exertion. Research indicates that just like the exertion of muscular strength, exerting self-control impacts subsequent attempts to do so. Using a mentally-demanding task, we induced states of self-control depletion which left individuals feeling mentally-fatigued. As a result of this state, participants needed to exert themselves harder in order to complete a task that was perceived less demanding, when non-fatigued.

Deliberate firesetting is a dangerous behavior that is associated with considerable costs annually. It has been estimated that young people under the age of 18 are responsible for a large proportion of all firesetting incidents. Moreover, firesetting has been linked to serious antisocial and aggressive behaviors and behavioral difficulties among juveniles and has been found to predict later delinquency, which makes this an important area to study. Some previous studies have found support for the importance of factors akin to self-control, e.g., impulsivity, for juvenile firesetting. This study applied an aspect of situational action theory (SAT), where self-control is viewed as part of crime propensity, but of lesser importance than morality, to the study of juvenile firesetting for the first time. Analyzing self-report data from two waves of the longitudinal Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development Study (MINDS), this study examines a key proposition of situational action theory, namely that morality is more important than self-control and that self-control is relevant in the explanation of crime (firesetting) only for individuals with lower levels of morality. The results indicate support for this proposition.

The objective of this exploratory study was to conceptualise the constructs of psychological optimality in order to derive a definition of the concept and to compile a personality profile of the psychologically optimal individual. A sample of 200 employees in a large electricity utility were randomly selected. A psychometric battery comprising seven questionnaires was compiled and administered. The empirical investigation revealed four factors as indicative of psychological optimality. The factors comprise lntrapersonal dimensions, namely successful coping in stressful situations, an internal locus of control, and Interpersonal dimensions, namely interpersonal sensitivity and a commitment to society. It seems that work behaviour would be largely determined by the intra- and interpersonal behaviours. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Trots att barns relation till sina föräldrar har tillmätts stor betydelse i flera teorier om brottsutsatthet har ingen svensk- eller engelskspråkig studie undersökt sambanden mellan barns tid med sina föräldrar och barnens utsatthet för brott. Genom logistisk regression av enkätsvaren från 1 248 svenska barn mellan 10 och 18 år och  deras föräldrar undersöks två hypoteser: 1) att tiden som barn och unga har med sina föräldrar är negativt korrelerad till utsatthet för brott och 2) att detta samband kvarstår men försvagas efter kontroller för klass och ekonomisk status. Av studien framgår ett signifikant och tydligt samband mellan upplevd föräldratid och brottsutsatthet. Oddsen att utsättas för brott är lite mer än två gånger högre för barn som upplever minst tid med sina föräldrar jämfört med barn som inte upplever tidsbrist med någon av sina föräldrar. Sambandet är tydligt även efter kontroll för ålder, kön, konflikter inom familjen, familjetyp samt relativ fattigdom. Sambandet påverkas inte i någon större grad av klass, vilket kan ha att göra med att den uppmätta brottsutsattheten inkluderar stöldbrott. Resultaten tolkas utifrån livsstilsteori och routine activity theory, i linje med det som kallas L-RAT-framework samt Hirschis teori om social kontroll.

The objective of this exploratory study was to conceptualise the constructs of psychological optimality in order to derive a definition of the concept and to compile a personality profile of the psychologically optimal individual. A sample of 200 employees in a large electricity utility were randomly selected. A psychometric battery comprising seven questionnaires was compiled and administered. The empirical investigation revealed four factors as indicative of psychological optimality. The factors comprise lntrapersonal dimensions, namely successful coping in stressful situations, an internal locus of control, and Interpersonal dimensions, namely interpersonal sensitivity and a commitment to society. It seems that work behaviour would be largely determined by the intra- and interpersonal behaviours. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Minimal attention has been devoted to examining the dimensionality of self-control. The present study tested a multidimensional model of self-control in which dimensions were based on the nature of the behavior required (i.e., persistence, initiation, cessation, or prevention). A total of 336 undergraduates completed measures of self-control and psychological well-being. Seventy-four of these participants completed behavioral self-control tasks representing the proposed subtypes. Participants’ GPAs were obtained from the Registrar. Stop self-control was inversely related to previously-validated measures of persistence (β = -.61, p = .010) and prevention (β = -.56, p = .040) self-control and demonstrated differential predictive ability of persistence and prevention compared to the other proposed subtypes. Initiation self-control was inversely related to life satisfaction (β = -.35, p = .012) and demonstrated differential predictive ability of life satisfaction compared to stop self-control. These results were interpreted with caution due to inadequate power and questionable validity of several of the behavioral self-control tasks. Both handgrip persistence (r = -.25, p = .033) and blinking prevention (r = -.29, p = .023) were associated with depression. These pairwise correlations were not significantly different from each other, suggesting that no conceptual distinction should be made between persistence and prevention self-control. Confirmatory factor analyses of self-report data revealed that items clustered based on domain rather than on type of behavior required for self-control exertion. Thus, the structure of self-control remains unclear. Limitations of the present study and implications for future research are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / W. Richard Goe / Criminologists have traditionally studied criminal offending and violent victimization separately. Extant studies, however, demonstrates that criminals and victims overlap to some degree, hinting that a common underlying trait explains both criminal offending and violent victimization. This study tests whether Gottfredson and Hirschi’s self-control theory explains the overlap in criminal offending and violent victimization exposure among gang members. Using cross-sectional survey data from the Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Program in the United States, 1995-1999, results from the regression models show that low self-control is to some degree correlated with criminal offending and violent victimization. Gang members were more likely than non-gang members to participate in some forms of criminal activities, but they were not more likely to be victimized. When variables stemming from social learning and social bonding are included in the regression models, results show that associating with delinquent peers had the strongest effect in predicting criminal offending, contradicting Gottfredson and Hirschi’s claim that self-control is the only cause of criminal behavior. In concert with previous studies that have found a link between low self-control and violent victimization, results show that youths with low self-control were somewhat more likely than youths with higher self-control to report being victimized. The results of the study, as well as venues for future research, are discussed.

At any given moment in time, there are people complying with fraudulent requests (i.e. scams) on the Internet. While the incidence rates are low (between five and ten percent of the population becoming victims on a yearly basis), the financial and emotional consequences can be high. In this Thesis we composed a unified theory of which factors made individuals more likely to comply with scams and what psychological mechanisms are unwittingly employed by con-men to make their (illegitimate marketing) offers more enticing. The strongest overall predictor of scam compliance (i.e. the extent to which an individual is likely to comply with fraudulent requests) was the level of self-control, regardless of the observed stage of a scam. On the basis of previous research, we postulated and have empirically shown that falling for a scam is a 3-stage process (i.e. assessing a scam to be plausible - plausiblity, responding to scammers - responded and, finally, losing utility to them – lost out). Taking this paradigm into account, we analysed the three stages in separate investigations and tested the viability of various psychological factors that play a role in them. We hypothesized that attitudes towards risky choices would play a role in finding an Internet scam plausible and thus started our investigation by transferring one of the classic economic psychological theories (i.e. Prospect Theory) into a virtual setting and demonstrated that risk preferences remain unchanged between concrete and virtual settings. Our investigation showed that attitudes towards risk are similar across virtual and concrete domains, but did not yield a reliable psychometric scale measuring risk preferences. As a corollary, in Chapter 3, we investigated psychological mechanisms that influence risky preferences as applied to all three stages of scam compliance. The empirical investigation in Chapter 3 of the present Thesis focused on social psychological mechanisms of persuasion. A scale of susceptibility to persuasion was developed, validated and then applied to the phenomena of scam compliance in two studies. Four reliable factors contributing to susceptibility to persuasion emerged: influence of authority, social influence, self-control and the need for consistency. The susceptibility to persuasion scale was then used to predict overall lifetime (study 1) and time-limited (study 2) scam compliance across the three stages of scams. Social Influence weakly predicted the plausibility stage in study 1, while strongly predicting the response stage in study 2. The need for consistency strongly predicted response stages in both studies. While compliance with requests from authorities did not predict responses to any of the stages in study 1, it weakly predicted the plausibility of a scam and strongly predicted responding to it in study 2. Weak self-control was a significant predictor of losing funds in study 1 and a strong predictor of responding to scams in study 2. As lack of self-control (as a personality trait) emerged as one of the significant predictors of scam compliance, this led us to infer that there were other personality traits that would contribute to understanding scam compliance. That became the topic of Chapter 4 of the present Thesis. In Chapter 4, we used the five factor model of personality, a brief self-control scale and the UPPS impulsive behaviour scale to measure the impact of personality traits on scam compliance in the response stage. Results showed that extraversion, openness, self-control, premeditation, sensation seeking and (negative) urgency had an influence on the response rates to fraudulent offers. Lack of self-control (as a personality trait) again emerged as a strong predictor of overall scam compliance, which led us to infer that self-control as a cognitive state would also contribute to measuring scam compliance in general and in specific types of fraud. The investigation reported in Chapter 3 showed fraudulent Internet auctions to be an effective scam. As a consequence of these two findings, in Chapter 5, we investigated the impact of self-regulatory fatigue on compliance with fraudulent Internet auctions. In the empirical investigation in Chapter 5 180 respondents in two groups were exposed to a cognitive task designed to be ego-depleting and then to a constructed fraudulent Internet auction. They were asked a series of questions concerned with the likelihood of them purchasing a desired item (i.e. the third stage of a scam) and its appeal to them. We found no evidence that lowered self-control (as a state) had any impact on the appeal of fraudulent offer or the likelihood of purchasing it. We also demonstrated that the perception of risk in the fraudulent Internet auctions is most strongly influenced by the feedback mechanisms and the sellers’ ability to use correct English. In the conclusion to the present Thesis we discussed the implications of our empirical investigations and constructed a fictional fraudulent offer that would be effective according to our research. It should, for example, be based on the advance fee schemes and should be delivered over the Internet to reach the most potential victims. Once we had created an outline of an effective scam, we used that as our starting point to suggest mechanisms that would be effective in resisting it. For example, individuals could employ heuristics in a better way or conduct reality checks; and software toolkits that would help in resisting scams could be developed on the basis of our findings. We also discussed future research directions (obtaining larger samples, focusing on specific types of scams and specific populations; and others) and general implications of our findings.