Research Details

Abstract

A robust finding is that participants who perform a depleting self-regulatory task are less persistent on a second task than those who perform a non-arduous self-regulatory task. We propose a resource monitoring account, which interprets regulatory depletion as occurring because depleted individuals focus on the resources they have allocated to a second task and prematurely suspend performance rather than on assessing their allocation by comparing it to some standard. Consistent with this view, we demonstrate that the regulatory depletion effect can be eliminated when a standard is made salient against which resource allocation can be judged (Studies 1-2), or when individuals have a proclivity to monitor their resource allocation in relation to their standard (Studies 3 and 4).

Type

Article

Author(s)

EchoWen Wan, Brian Sternthal

Date Published

2008

Citations

Wan, EchoWen, and Brian Sternthal. 2008. Regulating the Effects of Depletion Through Monitoring. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.(1): 32-46.