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Related Concept Videos

Self-Regulation01:25

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation, also known as self-control, encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral processes that allow individuals to adjust their internal states and outward actions to align with socially acceptable norms and long-term goals. It plays a fundamental role in adaptive functioning, from resisting impulsive behaviors to persisting through challenging tasks. While its benefits are widely recognized, self-regulation is not limitless. Muraven and Baumeister's theory posits that...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

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People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...
Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
Fundamental Attribution Error01:14

Fundamental Attribution Error

According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is called the fundamental attribution...
Self-Serving Bias01:29

Self-Serving Bias

Self-serving bias is a cognitive phenomenon in which individuals attribute positive outcomes to internal factors such as their abilities, intelligence, or effort while attributing negative outcomes to external circumstances. This cognitive distortion helps maintain self-esteem but can also impede objective self-assessment.Theoretical Explanations of Self-Serving BiasTwo primary theories explain the self-serving bias: the cognitive explanation and the motivational explanation.The cognitive...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
07:07

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

Determinants of justification and self-control.

Ran Kivetz1, Yuhuang Zheng

  • 1Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. rk566@columbia.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|November 8, 2006
PubMed
Summary

People justify self-gratification through hard work or by indulging in vices. Effort increases vice preference, but this shifts when income is considered, especially for those experiencing guilt.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Economics
  • Psychology
  • Consumer Behavior

Background:

  • Self-control is a key area in behavioral science.
  • Understanding the psychological mechanisms behind self-gratification is crucial for consumer behavior research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the psychological routes individuals use to justify self-gratification.
  • To test a framework proposing two justification routes: entitlement via effort/excellence and vice attainment without income depletion.

Main Methods:

  • The study employed real tasks and choices from prior self-control research.
  • Experimental manipulations included effort, excellence feedback, and implied interchangeability of effort and income.
  • Individual differences in guilt (chronic or manipulated) were assessed.

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Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
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Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

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06:08

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

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Main Results:

  • Increased effort and positive feedback on excellence enhanced preference for vice rewards, especially when income was not a constraint.
  • The willingness to exert effort for vices exceeded that for virtues, while income expenditure was higher for virtues.
  • The influence of these justification routes was amplified in individuals experiencing higher levels of guilt.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed justification routes provide a framework for understanding self-control behaviors.
  • Effort and income play distinct roles in the justification of indulging in vices versus virtues.
  • Guilt significantly moderates the relationship between justification strategies and self-gratification choices.