Downie, Steven (2018) Investigating Language Process Effects on Performance Decrement in the Letter-E Task. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The classic understanding of self-regulation is the over-riding of a habituated response. When required to repeatedly over-ride a response, the limited strength model argues the use of a domain general pool of resources to continue making decisions that becomes depleted over time, resulting in failures of self-regulation processes. This state of increased likelihood of failing to self-regulate is known as ego depletion. Groups engaging in a task of this nature are then compared against groups who have not used self-regulation resources by observing the carry-over effects on performance using the sequential-task paradigm. Recent studies have provided empirical evidence that a habituation phase is not necessary to observe decrement consistent with ego depletion in real time. Further, performance decrement may be due to inhibitions of existing automatic processes, such as language, rather than inhibition of a habituated response set up by the study. This replication study examines the effect of language characteristics on performance on the letter-e task, a task typically used in ego depletion studies, and does not use a habituation phase. The replication uses five stories from a previous study, with all the consonants randomised in one condition and the stories left intact in the control condition. Coherence was not found to be a significant factor in overall performance decrement. However, the level of coherence did affect the pattern of decrement, with performance more consistent in the randomised consonant condition than the intact condition. The study found performance decrement consistent with ego depletion without requiring a habituation phase, casting serious doubt over the necessity of a habituation phase to induce ego depletion.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Gerry Tehan |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Aug 2025 00:06 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Aug 2025 00:09 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | self-regulation, limited strength model, ego depletion, letter-e task, sequential-task paradigm |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52284 |
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