Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
07:07
Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
Published on: June 5, 2016
8.6K
Devaluation of Attractive Alternatives: How Those With Poor Inhibitory Ability Preemptively Resist Temptation
John E Lydon1, Hasagani Tissera1, Emile Auger1
1McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|July 31, 2024
Summary
Individuals with low inhibitory control can maintain relationships by preemptively devaluing attractive alternatives. This self-control strategy helps dampen temptation, even for those who struggle with impulse control.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Self-control theory posits a range of preemptive strategies to manage temptation.
- Relationship maintenance can be challenged by the presence of attractive alternatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if individuals with high relationship motivation and low inhibitory control devalue attractive alternatives.
- To explore the 'toolbox' approach to self-control in the context of romantic relationships.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted involving participants motivated to maintain their romantic relationships.
- Inhibitory control was assessed using the Stroop task.
- Participants rated the appeal of attractive alternatives (AAs).
Main Results:
- A significant interaction was found between relationship motivation and inhibitory control.
- Individuals with high motivation and low inhibitory control rated attractive alternatives as less appealing.
- This effect was replicated across both studies.
Conclusions:
- Preemptive devaluation of attractive alternatives is a viable self-control strategy for individuals with poor impulse control.
- The findings support the 'toolbox' model of self-control in relationship maintenance.
- This research offers insights into managing temptation within romantic partnerships.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
18.3K
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.
18.3K
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
39.0K
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...
39.0K
01:37Reason and Intuition
6.4K
The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the...
6.4K
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
1.7K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
1.7K
01:20Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
1.6K
Tachyphylaxis is described as a rapid decrease in response to a drug after repeated or continuous administration of the same drug dose. It is a phenomenon where the body becomes less responsive to a particular substance or intervention over time, requiring higher doses or stronger interventions to achieve the same effect. It results from adaptive changes in the body's receptors, signaling pathways, or physiological processes that occur in response to prolonged exposure to a stimulus.
1.6K
01:25The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic
7.2K
In order to make good decisions, we use our knowledge and our reasoning. Often, this knowledge and reasoning is sound and solid. However, sometimes, we are swayed by biases or by others manipulating a situation. For example, let’s say you and three friends wanted to rent a house and had a combined target budget of $1,600. The realtor shows you only very run-down houses for $1,600 and then shows you a very nice house for $2,000. Might you ask each person to pay more in rent to get the...
7.2K