Intellectual performance and ego depletion: Role of the self in logical reasoning and other information processing.
Abstract
Some complex thinking requires active guidance by the self, but simpler mental activities do not. Depletion of the self's regulatory resources should therefore impair the former and not the latter. Resource depletion was manipulated by having some participants initially regulate attention (Studies 1 and 3) or emotion (Study 2). As compared with no-regulation participants who did not perform such exercises, depleted participants performed worse at logic and reasoning (Study 1), cognitive extrapolation (Study 2), and a test of thoughtful reading comprehension (Study 3). The same manipulations failed to cause decrements on a test of general knowledge (Study 2) or on memorization and recall of nonsense syllables (Study 3). Successful performance at complex thinking may therefore rely on limited regulatory resources.
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- Authors
- Schmeichel, B. J., Vohs, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F.
- Affiliations
- Case Western Reserve University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 2003
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 33-46
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2151091572
- Cited by
- 811
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 46 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 52 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 54
- FWCI
- 19.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01mh057039-05)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 12794, F32MH012794, MH 57039)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- ego depletion, self-regulation, regulatory resources, cognitive performance, logical reasoning, reading comprehension, attentional control, emotion regulation, memory retrieval, general knowledge
- MeSH terms
- Cognition, Decision Making, Ego, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Logic, Male, Random Allocation, Self Concept, Videotape Recording
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