title: Increasing self-regulatory energy using an Internet-based training application delivered by smartphone technology.
abstract: Self-control resources can be defined in terms of "energy." Repeated attempts to override desires and impulses can result in a state of reduced self-control energy termed "ego depletion" leading to a reduced capacity to regulate future self-control behaviors effectively. Regular practice or "training" on self-control tasks may improve an individual's capacity to overcome ego depletion effectively. The current research tested the effectiveness of training using a novel Internet-based smartphone application to improve self-control and reduce ego depletion. In two experiments, participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which received a daily program of self-control training using a modified Stroop-task Internet-based application delivered via smartphone to participants over a 4-week period, or a no-training control group. Participants assigned to the experimental group performed significantly better on post-training laboratory self-control tasks relative to participants in the control group. Findings support the hypothesized training effect on self-control and highlight the effectiveness of a novel Internet-based application delivered by smartphone as a practical means to administer and monitor a self-control training program. The smartphone training application has considerable advantages over other means to train self-control adopted in previous studies in that it has increased ecological validity and enables effective monitoring of compliance with the training program.
authors.affiliation: 1 Human Factors Research Group/Mixed Reality Laboratory, The University of Nottingham , Nottingham, United Kingdom .
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cranwell
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benford
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Houghton
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golembewski
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golembewksi
authors.forename: Joel E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hagger
mesh_terms: D040421:Cell Phone; D004493:Education; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D019455:Self Psychology
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