<p>Baumeister and colleagues’ (1998) limited strength model of self-regulation was used as a framework to investigate the independent and combined effects of motivation and conservation on self-control strength depletion. Volunteer university students (<em>N</em> = 72; 23 males and 49 females) participated in the study. Participants completed two maximum endurance isometric handgrip trials separated by the Stroop colour word interference task. Participants were randomized to either a conservation or no-conservation condition before completion of the Stroop task. After performing the Stroop task the participants were then further separated into an autonomy support condition or a no autonomy support condition. It was hypothesized that participants (1) who were provided with autonomy support would perform better on the second endurance trial and report higher feelings of autonomous regulation, (2) who were in the conservation condition would perform worse on the Stroop task and better on the second endurance trial, and (3) who were provided with autonomy support and were in the conservation condition would perform the best on the second endurance trial, while those who were not provided autonomy support and did not conserve were predicted to perform the worst of any group on the second endurance trial. Autonomy support was associated with better performance on the second endurance trial but not greater feelings of autonomous regulation. Conservation was associated with poorer performance on the Stroop task, but not superior performance on the second endurance trial. There was no evidence supporting the combined effects of autonomy support and conservation. Findings support conclusions that people conserve self-control strength when anticipating future strength depletion and autonomy support helps people cope with self-control strength depletion and deliver superior performance on a muscular endurance task.</p> / Master of Science in Kinesiology

While research investigating the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs for adolescent substance use has increased in recent years, few studies have explored predictors of differential response to these rehabilitation programs. Delay of gratification (DG), which refers to the tendency to forego strong immediate satisfaction in the pursuit of larger long-term rewards, is one factor potentially relevant to all rehabilitation programs, as substance use can be characterized as a choice between short-lasting satisfaction from drug consumption and long-term benefits from abstinence. This study aims at investigating the changes of delay of gratification and the relationship between delay of gratification, future orientation and drug avoidance throughout a drug rehabilitation programme. A sample of one hundred and eleven students in Christian Zheng Sheng College was recruited to participate in this longitudinal study with four waves of data collection. The findings of the present study contribute to the literature of risky behavior by demonstrating the relationship between delay of gratification and drug avoidance, as well as the finding that delay of gratification is a changeable trait which can be strengthened through interventions. Further study will be required to examine the mechanism of change in delay of gratification and drug avoidance, as well as the influences of future orientation on delay of gratification and drug avoidance. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This study operationalized and empirically tested the general propositions of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime (1990). Specifically, the core concept of the theory, self-control, is operationalized using two data sets--Richmond Youth Project and Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development--and tested using criteria of reliability and validity. In this part of the study, a methodological question focuses on the pattern of validity change across types of data, namely, cross-sectional and longitudinal data. In the following tests, causes and consequences of low self-control are tested using Richmond Youth Project data. Child rearing as early socialization and individual traits are tested as sources of self-control. Then the measure of self-control is related to crime, delinquency, and analogous behaviors that are, according to the theory, manifestations of low self-control. A research question here focuses on the generality of self-control theory. Overall, the test results support the claims of the general theory of crime. Findings from the validity tests of the self-control index show theoretically expected relations with important individual variables such as gender, race, and delinquent status. In particular, findings from two differently designed data sets are very similar. Test results also show that boys low on self-control are more likely than others to have committed crime, delinquency, and various analogous behaviors. One possible research problem based on the theoretical assumption was also tested and empirically supported. Theory implies that respondents low on self-control are more likely than others to fail to answer questions in self-report survey. Empirical tests support this theoretical implication, revealing that respondents dropped from the index due to missing data are more likely than others to be delinquents. Further research implications are also discussed.

Organizations are increasingly devoting interest towards understanding the causes of workplace deviance behaviors, which include interpersonal aggression, theft, violence, vandalism and sabotage. These behaviors are particularly relevant to organizations, in that the yearly losses due to theft are estimated at over 40 billion dollars for U.S. businesses (Coffin, 2003), and acts of workplace deviance could cost as much as 200 billion dollars annually (Murphy, 1993).In this research, I integrated theoretical perspectives from psychology and organizational behavior with neurocognitive evidence in order to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on workplace deviance behavior. In particular, I argue that cognitive resource theories offer explanatory power for the proposed linkage between sleep loss and deviant behaviors. Specifically, sleep deprivation was expected to reduce cognitive capacity and self-regulatory ability, and as a result decrease individuals' self-control, increase hostility, and impair moral decisions, which would in turn increase workplace deviance. Finally, proposed methods are presented for two studies. The first study utilized a field sample of shiftworkers with irregular sleep schedules (i.e., nurses). The second study utilized a lab sample of university students who were subjected to sleep deprivation conditions in a controlled environment.Results largely supported the model in both samples, with the exception of moral reasoning, which was unrelated to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation affected self-control and hostility, which were in turn related to deviance, with the exception of self-control and interpersonal deviance in Study 2.

Mental fatigue decreases motivation. I tested whether applying electricity to a self-control region of the brain would replenish some of the motivation normally lost during mental fatigue. 224 people participated in this study. Each person received real or placebo brain stimulation while undergoing activities that increased mental fatigue. The dependent variable was a task where participants had to perform work by clicking a computer mouse repeatedly. Before performing this task, participants indicated how hard they were planning to work on this motivation task. Participants who received real brain stimulation were able to perform more work, but only if they also indicated they planned to work hard on the task.

<p>Research has long assumed that the process of self-control involves mechanisms for overcoming temptations. Such mechanisms, however, may not necessarily be consciously deployed, and relatively little is known about how individuals’ explicit beliefs about temptations may impact their response to them. With this in mind, five studies were conducted to examine the self-regulatory impact of individuals’ general beliefs about the necessity of avoiding temptations and the potential utility of having indulged in them. These studies considered how the impact of these beliefs may themselves depend on an individual’s ability to implement self-control. Study 1 tested the connection between an individual’s decision to avoid temptations and the two beliefs on overcoming temptations – beliefs in the necessity of avoidance and in the utility of indulgence. Studies 2 and 3 examined the relationship between self-control and the general belief that the utility of indulging in temptations affects self-control related behaviors. Study 4 explored how these beliefs may impact healthy dietary choices in the face of food temptations. Finally, Study 5 employed a different task paradigm to examine how various beliefs about temptations may mitigate the negative experiences of failures in self-control. Overall, the findings indicated that a general belief in the utility of avoiding temptations may positively impact goal pursuit, especially when self-control is low. Alternatively, a belief in the value of indulging in temptations may negatively impact goal pursuit when individuals’ self-control is low. This belief, however, may mitigate the consequences of temptation indulgence for future self-control.</p> / Dissertation

Researchers adopting the strength-energy model of self-control (Baumeister et al., 1998) have suggested that taxing situations (i.e., self-control demands) exhaust a limited self-control resource and leave individuals in a state of self-regulatory fatigue known as “ego-depletion.” Following the onset of ego-depletion, numerous studies have shown that individuals are more susceptible to lapses in self-control, including failure to resist alcohol consumption. Self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000) researchers have contributed to this body of research in at least two major ways. First, they have suggested that psychological need satisfaction may hold a restorative function and buffer against the ego-depleting effects of self-control demands during the day (Ryan & Deci, 2008). Second, they have empirically demonstrated that self-control resources may only be needed to execute responses involving greater controlled (CR) than autonomous (AR) regulation (Moller et al., 2006). Drawing upon each of these perspectives, the current study investigated: a) whether students reporting greater self-control demands during the day would be protected from higher levels of ego-depletion during the evening if they perceived greater psychological need satisfaction during the day, and b) whether students reporting higher levels of ego-depletion during the evening would be at greater risk of alcohol-related self-control failure at night if they reported relatively greater controlled than autonomous regulation for limiting their nighttime drinking. Two independent samples of university students were recruited during the Fall 2015 (Sample 1; n = 175) and Spring 2016 (Sample 2; n = 204) semesters. Across three (Sample 1) and four (Sample 2) week periods, students were prompted to complete measures of self-control demands and psychological need satisfaction during the day, and ego-depletion, alcohol-related self-control failure, and self-regulation for limiting alcohol consumption during the night. Using multilevel analysis, findings revealed a positive association between self-control demands and ego-depletion. This association was moderated by psychological need satisfaction during some temporal periods more than others. Findings also revealed a positive association between ego-depletion and alcohol-related self-control failure, but only among Sample 1 participants. Findings did not implicate self-regulation as a moderator of this relationship. The applicability of the strength-energy model is discussed in relation to student drinking behaviour. / Graduate / 2017-12-14 / tcarey@uvic.ca

<p>Marketers have long looked for observables that could explain differences in consumer behavior. Initial attempts have centered on demographic factors, such as age, gender, and race. Although such variables are able to provide some useful information for segmentation (Bass, Tigert, and Longdale 1968), more recent studies have shown that variables that tap into consumers’ social classes and personal values have more predictive accuracy and also provide deeper insights into consumer behavior. I argue that one demographic construct, religion, merits further consideration as a factor that has a profound impact on consumer behavior. In this dissertation, I focus on two types of religious guidance that may influence consumer behaviors: religious teachings (being content with one’s belongings), and religious problem-solving styles (reliance on God). </p><p>Essay 1 focuses on the well-established endowment effect and introduces a new moderator (religious teachings on contentment) that influences both owner and buyers’ pricing behaviors. Through fifteen experiments, I demonstrate that when people are primed with religion or characterized by stronger religious beliefs, they tend to value their belongings more than people who are not primed with religion or who have weaker religious beliefs. These effects are caused by religious teachings on being content with one’s belongings, which lead to the overvaluation of one’s own possessions. </p><p>Essay 2 focuses on self-control behaviors, specifically healthy eating, and introduces a new moderator (God’s role in the decision-making process) that determines the relationship between religiosity and the healthiness of food choices. My findings demonstrate that consumers who indicate that they defer to God in their decision-making make unhealthier food choices as their religiosity increases. The opposite is true for consumers who rely entirely on themselves. Importantly, this relationship is mediated by the consumer’s consideration of future consequences. This essay provides an explanation to the existing mixed findings on the relationship between religiosity and obesity.</p> / Dissertation

Personality is a topic that has been researched for a long time, however studies on non-human animals has only recently gained increased attention. In humans, impulsivity is a personality trait correlated with a wide variety of disorders. Impulsivity has also been shown to affect cognition, making it potentially having broad-ranged influences on the behavior of individuals. In this study, impulsivity was studied on white leghorn chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) in two tests: a motor self-regulation test and a self-control test. Motor self-regulation, or the ability to inhibit motor impulses caused by external stimuli, was tested and compared between males and females. In this test there were differences between the impulsive behavior of the sexes. Self-control, or the ability to wait for a bigger, but delayed reward over a small and instant reward, was also studied. There were no sex-differences in self-control. Further, no correlation was observed between self-control and motor self-regulation. This suggest that the tests investigate different aspects of impulsivity, highlighting the complexity of impulsive behavior. Because this work was also carried out to evaluate and develop the two tests for a chicken model, I also discuss how these tests could be improved in the future.

Why is trait self-control associated with successful goal progress? Existing research has attempted to answer this question by focusing on individual differences in the process of goal pursuit. Herein, we propose and test a novel mechanism suggesting that self-control facilitates goal attainment not only by affecting the process of goal pursuit but also the type of goals peo- ple select in the first place. Three studies showed that high (vs. low) self- control individuals are more likely to report successful goal attainment and this association was mediated by their tendency to select the goals that reflect their true/authentic self. These results were obtained using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs and were robust against controlling for previously established mechanisms of the effect of trait self-control on goal attainment (habit strength, experiences of goal-conflicting desires). Overall, there findings contribute to the literatures on self-regulation, authenticity and goal management.