Does self-control training improve self-control? A meta-analysis
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
Self-control is positively associated with a host of beneficial outcomes. Therefore, psychological interventions that reliably improve self-control are of great societal value. A prominent idea suggests that training self-control by repeatedly overriding dominant responses should lead to broad improvements in self-control over time. Here, we conducted a random-effects meta-analysis based on robust variance estimation of the published and unpublished literature on self-control training effects. Results based on 33 studies and 158 effect sizes revealed a small-to-medium effect of g = 0.30, confidence interval (CI95) [0.17, 0.42]. Moderator analyses found that training effects tended to be larger for (a) self-control stamina rather than strength, (b) studies with inactive compared to active control groups, (c) males than females, and (d) when proponents of the strength model of self-control were (co)authors of a study. Bias-correction techniques suggested the presence of small-study effects and/or publication bias and arrived at smaller effect size estimates (range: gcorrected = .13 to .24). The mechanisms underlying the effect are poorly understood. There is not enough evidence to conclude that the repeated control of dominant responses is the critical element driving training effects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Perspectives on Psychological Science |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1077 - 1099 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| ISSN | 1745-6916 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01.11.2017 |
- Psychology - self-control training, intervention, meta-analysis, publication bias, robust variance estimation
Research areas
- Psychology(all)
