State, but not trait, measures of persistence are related to negative affect

Task persistence describes the act of persisting with a difficult or effortful task. Although there are likely individual differences in persistence, the same person may also display different levels of persistence under different circumstances. This study sought to examine whether task persistence can be conceptualized as both a state and as a trait, and to examine the self-control strength model with negative affect as a drain on limited resources necessary for persisting.

Smokers with schizophrenia (n = 43), schizoaffective disorder (n = 28), and nonpsychiatric smokers (n = 78) seeking treatment at state-funded tobacco-dependence treatment clinics completed two behavioral measures and two self-report measures of task persistence along with a measure of negative affect before their target quit date.

Analyses of covariance suggest that behavioral measures of persistence were significantly related to negative affect while two self-report measures of persistence were not.

These findings suggest that behavioral, but not self-report, measures of persistence are related to negative affect. We argue that these behavioral measures capture "state" persistence whereas the self-report measures capture "trait" persistence. These data also lend support to the self-control strength model by suggesting that negative affect can drain the limited resources necessary for persisting with difficult behavioral tasks.