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The Role of State and Trait Self-Control on the Sustained Attention to Response Task
Amanda E Harwood1,2, Kelly Satterfield1,3, William S Helton1
1George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
Human Factors
|November 13, 2023
Summary
State self-control does not appear to cause performance declines in attention tasks. However, trait self-control is linked to sustained attention performance, suggesting its importance in demanding real-world roles.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Self-control is theorized as a limited cognitive resource influencing various processes, including sustained attention.
- Previous research indicates trait self-control impacts some attention tasks, but the role of state-dependent self-control is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of both trait and state self-control on performance in a sustained attention task.
- To determine if self-control depletion (state) affects performance decrements in the sustained attention to response task (SART).
Main Methods:
- An experiment manipulated state self-control using a depletion task versus a control task before participants completed the SART.
- The study assessed both trait self-control and state self-control in relation to SART performance.
Main Results:
- Trait self-control was found to predict performance on the SART.
- Manipulating state self-control through a depletion task did not yield a significant effect on SART performance.
Conclusions:
- State self-control is unlikely to be a causal factor in performance decrements observed in the SART.
- A correlation exists between trait self-control and performance on the SART, highlighting its relevance for personnel selection.
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