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Self-reported tactics of impulse control
The International Journal of the Addictions
|February 1, 1987
Summary
Behavioral research shows people rationally precommit to avoid impulses. This study explored self-reported approval of precommitting tactics for common temptations among students and prisoners.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Psychology
Background:
- Delayed incentives are discounted non-linearly, leading to temporary preference for earlier, poorer options.
- The temporary preference model suggests a rational basis for advance commitment to manage impulses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate college students' and prisoners' self-reported approval of precommitting tactics.
- To examine the relationship between personality traits and the endorsement of different precommitting strategies.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire assessed approval of four precommitting tactics across 14 common temptations.
- Data collected from college students and prisoners.
Main Results:
- Endorsement of private rules correlated with compulsive traits.
- Preference for extra-psychic (social/physical) devices correlated with oral/paranoid traits.
- Gender differences observed in the endorsement of attention control versus extra-psychic devices.
Conclusions:
- Precommitting tactics are perceived as rational strategies for impulse control.
- Personality traits and demographics influence the choice of precommitment strategies.
- Findings align with ego psychology's view of conscious conflict management.