{"id":{"repo_id":"brock","oai_identifier":"oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/13574"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/brock/oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/13574","repository":{"repo_id":"brock","name":"Brock University","base_url":"https://brocku.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Self-Control and its Influence on Global/Local Processing: An Investigation of the Role of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Dispositional Approach Tendencies","abstract":"People often inhibit or override their dominant response tendencies in order to complete tasks successfully. Exerting such self-control has been shown to influence attentional breadth differently depending on an individual’s approach-motivated tendencies, as indexed by individuals’ Behavioural Activation System (BAS) scores. Approach motivation and attentional breadth have previously been associated with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA; i.e., lateralized cortical activity in the frontal regions) where greater left-frontal activation is associated with greater approach motivation and reduced attentional breadth. The process model of self-control posits that exercising self-control leads to a subsequent increase in approach behaviour in high BAS individuals, and this could be due to a shift towards left-hemisphere-frontal processing. However, no one has yet measured BAS, FAA, and attentional breadth together under conditions of high and low self-control. This was the first study to examine both FAA and attentional breadth before and after exercising self-control in low and high BAS individuals. Greater BAS, and greater difficulty exercising self-control, both positively related to narrowed attentional breadth, but only after exercising self-control. Breadth of attention and BAS were unrelated to FAA at rest, before versus after self-control, suggesting that the influence of self-control on individuals’ attentional breadth was not associated with FAA. Overall, results from this study suggest that exercising self-control influences attentional breadth differently depending on individuals’ BAS scores, but not because of individual differences or changes in FAA.","abstract_html":"People often inhibit or override their dominant response tendencies in order to complete tasks successfully. Exerting such self-control has been shown to influence attentional breadth differently depending on an individual’s approach-motivated tendencies, as indexed by individuals’ Behavioural Activation System (BAS) scores. Approach motivation and attentional breadth have previously been associated with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA; i.e., lateralized cortical activity in the frontal regions) where greater left-frontal activation is associated with greater approach motivation and reduced attentional breadth. The process model of self-control posits that exercising self-control leads to a subsequent increase in approach behaviour in high BAS individuals, and this could be due to a shift towards left-hemisphere-frontal processing. However, no one has yet measured BAS, FAA, and attentional breadth together under conditions of high and low self-control. This was the first study to examine both FAA and attentional breadth before and after exercising self-control in low and high BAS individuals. Greater BAS, and greater difficulty exercising self-control, both positively related to narrowed attentional breadth, but only after exercising self-control. Breadth of attention and BAS were unrelated to FAA at rest, before versus after self-control, suggesting that the influence of self-control on individuals’ attentional breadth was not associated with FAA. Overall, results from this study suggest that exercising self-control influences attentional breadth differently depending on individuals’ BAS scores, but not because of individual differences or changes in FAA.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pitchford, Brent"],"institution":"Brock University","degree_name":"M.A. Psychology","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Faculty of Social Sciences","degree_department":"Department of Psychology","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-07-10T15:39:25Z","date_published":"2018-07-10T15:39:25Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:23:09Z","subjects":["Attention","Electrophysiology","Lateralization","Individual Differences","Self-Control"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10464/13574","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Department of Psychology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pitchford, Brent"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2018-07-10T15:39:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-07-10T15:39:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2018-07-10T15:39:25Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Faculty of Social Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Brock University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Attention","Electrophysiology","Lateralization","Individual Differences","Self-Control"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10464/13574"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["People often inhibit or override their dominant response tendencies in order to complete tasks successfully. Exerting such self-control has been shown to influence attentional breadth differently depending on an individual’s approach-motivated tendencies, as indexed by individuals’ Behavioural Activation System (BAS) scores. Approach motivation and attentional breadth have previously been associated with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA; i.e., lateralized cortical activity in the frontal regions) where greater left-frontal activation is associated with greater approach motivation and reduced attentional breadth. The process model of self-control posits that exercising self-control leads to a subsequent increase in approach behaviour in high BAS individuals, and this could be due to a shift towards left-hemisphere-frontal processing. However, no one has yet measured BAS, FAA, and attentional breadth together under conditions of high and low self-control. This was the first study to examine both FAA and attentional breadth before and after exercising self-control in low and high BAS individuals. Greater BAS, and greater difficulty exercising self-control, both positively related to narrowed attentional breadth, but only after exercising self-control. Breadth of attention and BAS were unrelated to FAA at rest, before versus after self-control, suggesting that the influence of self-control on individuals’ attentional breadth was not associated with FAA. Overall, results from this study suggest that exercising self-control influences attentional breadth differently depending on individuals’ BAS scores, but not because of individual differences or changes in FAA."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Self-Control and its Influence on Global/Local Processing: An Investigation of the Role of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Dispositional Approach Tendencies"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.department":["Department of Psychology"],"dc:creator":["Pitchford, Brent"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2018-07-10T15:39:25Z"],"dc:date.available":["2018-07-10T15:39:25Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2018-07-10T15:39:25Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["People often inhibit or override their dominant response tendencies in order to complete tasks successfully. Exerting such self-control has been shown to influence attentional breadth differently depending on an individual’s approach-motivated tendencies, as indexed by individuals’ Behavioural Activation System (BAS) scores. Approach motivation and attentional breadth have previously been associated with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA; i.e., lateralized cortical activity in the frontal regions) where greater left-frontal activation is associated with greater approach motivation and reduced attentional breadth. The process model of self-control posits that exercising self-control leads to a subsequent increase in approach behaviour in high BAS individuals, and this could be due to a shift towards left-hemisphere-frontal processing. However, no one has yet measured BAS, FAA, and attentional breadth together under conditions of high and low self-control. This was the first study to examine both FAA and attentional breadth before and after exercising self-control in low and high BAS individuals. Greater BAS, and greater difficulty exercising self-control, both positively related to narrowed attentional breadth, but only after exercising self-control. Breadth of attention and BAS were unrelated to FAA at rest, before versus after self-control, suggesting that the influence of self-control on individuals’ attentional breadth was not associated with FAA. Overall, results from this study suggest that exercising self-control influences attentional breadth differently depending on individuals’ BAS scores, but not because of individual differences or changes in FAA."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10464/13574"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:subject":["Attention","Electrophysiology","Lateralization","Individual Differences","Self-Control"],"dc:title":["Self-Control and its Influence on Global/Local Processing: An Investigation of the Role of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Dispositional Approach Tendencies"],"dc:type":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Faculty of Social Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. Psychology"],"thesis:institution_name":["Brock University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:23:09Z"}