Boredom and self-control as guiding signals for goal-directed behavior: A novel approach to the ego depletion effect

自我控制研究一直以自我控制的力量模型为主导，该模型建立在自我控制能力是一种有限的全局资源的前提下，这种资源可以暂时耗尽，从而导致一种称为自我枯竭的状态。然而，复制失败严重质疑了模型的有效性。我们认为，这是由于不知不觉地被引入自我耗竭研究的一种混淆：无聊。无聊会导致注意力无法集中在正在进行的任务上，从而影响目标的实现。因此，自我耗竭和无聊都通过注意力控制受损而产生有害影响。我们提出，传统上用于自我耗竭研究的控制条件会导致更大程度的无聊，因此不适合测试自我控制的强度模型。由于之前的研究在很大程度上忽视了自我消耗研究和自我控制与无聊之间关系的潜在混淆，我们的目标是通过三个子项目来解决这一差距。到目前为止，我们将两个独立的研究方向结合起来：自我控制和无聊研究。具体来说，我们认为自我控制和无聊都是目标导向行为的指导信号。在子项目A和B中，我们计划使用心理、神经元和生理测量（包括动眼肌测量和大脑活动）来揭示自我控制和无聊的时间动态及其对认知表现（子项目A）和身体表现（子项目B）的影响。通过使用这些心理、神经和生理测量，我们旨在解开感知自我控制努力和感知无聊对表现的独立和互动影响，从而阐明自我消耗文献中潜在的盲点。在子项目C中，我们将合并前两个子项目的数据并测试一个经过调节的多重中介模型。在低自我控制任务中，无聊感增加了自我控制需求，而在高自我控制任务中，自我控制需求是操纵的直接结果。因此，我们认为在传统的自我损耗研究中，实验条件可能会损害自我控制表现并调节随之而来的心理神经生理测量。然而，我们预计这些损伤和调节主要是由无聊感（低自我控制条件）或感知到的自我控制努力（高自我控制条件）驱动的。这项研究可以解决心理学研究中最受欢迎的领域之一的实质性盲点。考虑到这项研究的创新性、最先进的数据分析和综合心理神经生理学方法的采用，该项目获得的结果将有可能被高影响力期刊接受。

Self-control research has been dominated by the strength model of self-control which is built on the premise that the capacity for self-control is a limited global resource that can become temporarily depleted, resulting in a state called ego depletion. However, replication failures have severely questioned the model’s validity. We propose that this is due to a confound that has unknowingly been introduced into ego depletion research: boredom. Boredom impairs goal attainment by causing attentional failures to engage with an ongoing task. Thus, ego depletion and boredom both exert their detrimental effects via impaired attentional control. We propose that the control conditions that are traditionally used in ego depletion research induce greater levels of boredom and are therefore ill-suited to test the strength model of self-control. As this potential confound in ego depletion research and the relationship between self-control and boredom have largely been overlooked by previous research, we aim to address this gap with three subprojects.Here, we combine two up to this point separate lines of research: self-control and boredom research. Specifically, we suggest that not only self-control but also boredom is a guiding signal for goal-directed behavior. In subprojects A and B, we plan to use psychological, neuronal and physiological measures (including oculomotor measures and brain activity) to unravel the temporal dynamics of self-control and boredom and its impact on cognitive performance (subproject A) and on physical performance (subproject B). With the use of these psychological, neuronal and physiological measures we aim to disentangle the independent and interactive effects of perceived self-control exertion and perceived boredom on performance, thereby illuminating a potential blind spot in the ego depletion literature. In subproject C we will combine the data of the first two subprojects and test a moderated multiple mediation model. We expect that in the low self-control tasks, the sensation of boredom increases self-control demands, whereas in the high self-control tasks, self-control demands are the direct result of the manipulation. Thus, we propose that in traditional ego depletion research both experimental conditions might impair self-control performance and modulate attendant psychoneurophysiological measures. However, we expect these impairments and modulations to be primarily driven by the sensation of boredom (low self-control condition) or perceived self-control exertion (high self-control condition). This research can address a substantial blind spot in one of the most popular fields of psychological research. Given the innovative nature of this research, state-of-the-art data analysis, and adoption of a comprehensive psychoneurophysiological approach, the results obtained from this project will have the potential for acceptance in high-impact journals.