PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi reddit, my name is Michael and my research
challenges the notion that self-control is a finite resource that
diminishes with use over time – Ask Me Anything!
Abstract
Hi reddit, My name is Michael Inzlicht and I am a professor at The
University of Toronto. My research focuses on the topic of self-control
and the related concepts of cognitive control and executive function. I
recently published a study titled, “A pre-registered naturalistic
observation of within domain mental fatigue and domain-general depletion
of self-control” in PLOS ONE. In this paper, we monitored over 16,000
students as they engaged in voluntary learning on an online program to
examine the impact of time-of-day and within-task fatigue on
participation and performance. Contrary to models of self-control that
suggest that self-control is domain general and runs out, we did not
find that task engagement decreased at the end of the day. These
findings join others (e.g.,
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147770)
that cast doubt on the notion that self-control is based on some finite
resource that diminishes with use. I will be answering your questions at
1pm ET. Ask me Anything! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter
@minzlicht!