Self-Regulatory Strategy Use, Efficacy, and Strategy-Situation-Fit in Self-Control Conflicts of Initiation, Persistence, and Inhibition

Abstract

Self-control is the ability to (1) initiate, and (2) persist in boring, difficult or disliked activity, and to (3) inhibit impulses to act. We explored the self-regulatory strategies that people use for these three types of self-control conflicts and their subjective efficacy as a function of conflict type. In addition, we hypothesized that people who more frequently create strategy-situation fit by tying strategies to the conflict types they are effective for, are more successful at self-control. A pilot study identified 22 different self-regulatory strategies that could be used for more than one type of self-control conflict. We then used a large data set from two pooled experience sampling datasets ( n = 14,067 reported self-control conflicts) to quantify these strategies’ popularity and subjective efficacy in daily life. Eight strategies were positively and three negatively associated with subjective self-regulatory success but subjective efficacy often depended on type of conflict: Some strategies were effective and some maladaptive only for some types of self-control conflicts. Individuals who created strategy-situation fit for some strategies also reported greater self-regulatory success, as hypothesized. We discuss regulatory flexibility as a crucial component of good self-control.

The context-sensitive use of task enrichment to promote self-control: The role of metacognition and trait self-control.

“…The initial study was preregistered (https://osf.io/mxes9), however, the specific hypotheses we aim to test here were not. We previously worked with this same dataset and already investigated a different set of hypotheses on a full sample of 22 different self-regulatory strategies of which task enrichment was one (see Wenzel, Bürgler, Brandstätter, et al, 2023). Even though we did not perform the analysis we report here before deriving our hypotheses, we were nevertheless under the impression that we would be overclaiming if preregistering them at a point in time where data collection had been over already and, strictly speaking, we had already looked at the data, albeit for a different set of hypotheses.…”

“…The wording of the strategy was: "I added something positive to the activity to make it more pleasant (e.g., listened to music, watched TV while doing it)." It was possible to select multiple strategies, which was part of other analyses not reported here (see Wenzel, Bürgler, Brandstätter, et al, 2023).…”

“…In 1,135 conflicts of persistence, participants provided information on whether or not they have used the strategy task enrichment. They reported having used task enrichment in 294 (25.9%) of those conflicts, making it a very commonly used self-regulatory strategy (see also Wenzel, Bürgler, Brandstätter, et al, 2023). Task enrichment was most often used to enrich tasks related to studying (44.2%), one's job (15.3%), doing chores around the house (13.9%), and physical activity (10.2%).…”

“…More generally, as described in the process model of self-control, task enrichment can be understood as a situation modification strategy in the service of self-control, given that it entails "purposefully changing our circumstances to advantage" (p. 40, Duckworth et al, 2016). Situation modification strategies have been described as a highly effective group of self-regulatory strategies that can be used to prevent the emergence of problematic impulses that would otherwise put continued goal pursuit (here: to quit the focal task) at risk (Duckworth et al, 2014(Duckworth et al, , 2016; however, see Lopez et al, 2021;Milyavskaya et al, 2021;Wenzel, Bürgler, Brandstätter, et al, 2023, for a more nuanced picture). Indeed, temptation bundling and other forms of task enrichment have been shown to effectively promote goal pursuit (e.g., Kirgios et al, 2020;Milkman et al, 2014).…”

Metacognition and self-control: An integrative framework.

“…Several studies have shown that people do indeed spontaneously use a variety of different strategies in their everyday lives and that many strategies can be effective (Bürgler et al, 2021; Hennecke & Bürgler, 2020; Hennecke et al, 2019; Lopez et al, 2021; Milyavskaya et al, 2020; Wenzel et al, 2022). People also frequently use multiple strategies within a single self-control conflict.…”