The Importance of Restraint in Gauging the Effects of Ego Depletion on Alcohol Motivation

<p>Despite increased awareness of complications, the use and abuse of alcohol remains a problem in the United States. With regard to drinking, individuals encounter situations in which they must maintain a balance between temptation to drink and the need to regulate alcohol intake. Maintaining this balance requires the use of self-control. For this reason, lack of self-control has been implicated a potential influence on excessive alcohol consumption. The Strength Model of Self-Control (Baumeister, Vohs, & Tice, 2007) posits that self-control draws on a limited resource that becomes depleted following repeated use. The term “ego depletion” is used to refer to this temporary loss of self-control. The current study examined the effect of ego depletion on alcohol-related cognitions to determine if the strength of alcohol-related cognitions is affected by temporary loss of self-control, as well as if its effects can be gauged using an implicit measure of alcohol motivation. There was not a significant effect of ego depletion on implicit attitudes toward alcohol. Limitations and future directions are discussed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Experimental Psychology (M.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Allen, Danielle B.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Shauna Joye
• Janie H. Wilson

• ETD
• alcohol use
• ego depletion
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1263

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-2327