The Use of Cognitive Interventions in Reducing the Effects of Ego-Depletion
Undergraduate Journal in
Psychology
The U se of Cognitive Inter ventions in Reducing the Effects of Ego-Depletion
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Article 7
The Use of
Cognitive
Interventions in
Reducing the
Effects of
Ego-Depletion
John Iglesias
Brigham Young University
Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate
Journal of Psychology
Abstract:
Acts of self-regulation,
the controlling of
behavior to obtain long-term
goals, deplete a common
mental resource that
reduces the capacity for
further self-regulation,
this depletion is known as
ego-depletion
(Baumeister, 2014; Fischer,
Kastenmüller, & Asal,
2012; Hagger, Wood, Stiff,
& Chatzisarantis, 2010;
Vohs et al., 2008)
. The
effects of ego-depletion
are linked to increases
in risk-taking, subjective
fatigue, and failure to
resist temptation, which
impede progress towards
accomplishment of any
long-term,
self-regulatory goal. The mental
processes of
self-regulation and general cognitive
function are intrinsically
connected as they both
deplete the same mental
resource and induce
ego-depletion. Magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI)
has shown that both these
mental processes occur
in the prefrontal cortex
of the brain, implicating
these as interconnected
mental activities
(Hare,
Camerer, & Rangel, 2009;
Harris, Hare, & Rangel,
2009; Hedgcock et al.,
2012)
. This review
investigates the underlying
principles of cognitive
interventions that
successfully reduce the
effects of ego-depletion
by analyzing strategies
that either shift attention
away from self-regulation
tasks or prime individuals
to increase performance,
despite a state of
ego-depletion.
Running head: COGNITIVE INTERVENTIONS AND EGO-DEPLETION 94
On an average day, people make decisions that range
from instantaneous easy choices to elaborate, consequential,
and potentially life-changing decisions. Conflict arises when a
person’s automatic desires do not align with goals he or she has
made. In such instances, a person utilizes willpower or
selfregulation, the ability to exert control over automatic, impulsive
desires or behaviors and replace them with behaviors associated
with achieving long-term goals or standards
(Baumeister, 2014;
Fischer, Kastenmüller, & Asal, 2012; Hagger, Wood, Stiff, &
Chatzisarantis, 2010; Vohs et al., 2008)
. Self-regulation has
been conceptualized by psychologists to occur in two-stages;
conflict-identification and behavior implementation
(Alberts
et al., 2007; Alberts et al., 2008)
. A person first identifies the
difference between immediate desire, resulting impulsive
behavior and a more positive (but long-term) goal, then
implements behaviors that either correspond to the immediate
desire or the long-term goal
(Hedgcock, Vohs, & Rao, 2012;
Hoffman, Baumeister, Förster, & Vohs, 2012)
. Self-regulation
is thus a cognitive process that involves deliberation between
different enticing behaviors that have either immediate or
longterm benefits.
Studies on the neurological components behind
selfCOGNITIVE INTERVENTIONS AND EGO-DEPLETION 95
regulation, where subjects engaged in activities requiring
self-regulation, found that brain activity increased in the
rostral middle frontal gyrus (rMFG), dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex (dlPFC), and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)
( Hare, Camerer, & Rangel, 2009; Harris, Hare, & Rangel,
2009; Hedgcock et al., 2012)
. All three of these areas in the
brain occupy the same general region of the prefrontal cortex,
an area associated with planning complex cognitive behavior.
This commonality of location amongst brain regions helps
explain the relationship between goal-making, goal-keeping,
and self-regulation in decision making. Self-regulation as a
mental process is a necessary component of goal-keeping,
especially when an individual is tempted with options
counterproductive to his or her planned goals. The importance of
selfregulation increases considering the potential negative effects
an individual may face should he or she fail to accomplish
important goals. Unfortunately while self-regulation is
important it is not inexhaustible.
The act of exercising self-regulation consumes a limited
mental resource impairing subsequent self-regulatory activity
in a phenomenon known as ego-depletion
(Baumeister,
2014; Hagger et al., 2010; Vohs et al., 2008)
. The term
egoCOGNITIVE INTERVENTIONS AND EGO-DEPLETION 96
depletion references the Freudian concept of the ego, a
person’s ability to mediate between short-term carnal desires
and long-term morally responsible goals. This phenomenon
poses a problem for any individual whose long-term goals
might often conflict with everyday temptations or short-term
immediately gratifying behaviors (e.g., those struggling with
addictions). Some external factors, such as the presence of
others, personality traits, and alcohol intake, affect the success
of self-regulation in inhibiting the immediate gratific (...truncated)