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Habituation does not rescue depletion: Two tests of the ego-depletion effect

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  • Alós-Ferrer, Carlos
  • Ritschel, Alexander
  • García-Segarra, Jaume
  • Achtziger, Anja

Abstract

The recent literature on ego depletion and self-control is plagued with failed replications. It has been argued that publication bias might have inflated estimated effect sizes. Doubts go so far that the very existence of the ego-depletion effect has been questioned. We conducted two high-power tests of the ego-depletion effect, with samples in two different countries, including a habituation phase in the depleting task (“e-crossing task”). This addresses recent critiques on failed registered replications, which argued that habituation was essential to obtain depletion effects. We examined the effect on error rates, response times, interference scores for error rates and response times, and response-time variability in a subsequent Stroop task. There were no effects in general, except a significant difference in response-time variability, only in one of the samples, and in the opposite direction as predicted by the ego-depletion effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Alós-Ferrer, Carlos & Ritschel, Alexander & García-Segarra, Jaume & Achtziger, Anja, 2019. "Habituation does not rescue depletion: Two tests of the ego-depletion effect," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 75(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:75:y:2019:i:pa:s0167487018303635
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2018.11.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Urs Fischbacher, 2007. "z-Tree: Zurich toolbox for ready-made economic experiments," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 10(2), pages 171-178, June.
    2. Achtziger, Anja & Alós-Ferrer, Carlos & Wagner, Alexander K., 2018. "Social preferences and self-control," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 161-166.
    3. Achtziger, Anja & Alós-Ferrer, Carlos & Wagner, Alexander K., 2016. "The impact of self-control depletion on social preferences in the ultimatum game," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1-16.
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    2. Antonia Grohmann & Jana Hamdan, 2021. "The Effect of Self-Control and Financial Literacy on Impulse Borrowing: Experimental Evidence," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1950, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Ennio Bilancini & Leonardo Boncinelli & Pietro Guarnieri & Lorenzo Spadoni, 2021. "Delaying and Motivating Decisions in the (Bully) Dictator Game," Discussion Papers 2021/277, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
    4. Tang, Jiansheng & Zhou, Jiamin & Zheng, Chundong & Jiao, Sijing, 2022. "More expectations, more disappointments: Ego depletion in uncertain promotion," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    5. Sekścińska, Katarzyna & Rudzinska-Wojciechowska, Joanna & Jaworska, Diana, 2021. "Self-control and financial risk taking," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

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    Keywords

    Ego depletion; Self-control;

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