The Study Of Ego Depletion Affect On Decision Behavior

Self control is one of the most important psychological function in human’s life,it is so hard that use rational way to thinking and guide action if individual lack ofself-control, also easy to be a puppet of emotions and impulses, often leads to manyadverse consequences be happened. Self control resource model using a limitedresource metaphor for self control. When individuals exercise self-control, thisresource in continuously reduced, eventually resulting in a state referred to as “egodepletion”. In this state, individuals show self control failure during the subsequentdecision tasks because of lack of the same self-control resource, for instance, easy tomaking impulses decision or risk behaviors and so on. On the contrary, otherresearchers hold the opposite point that ego depletion lead to decision making moreconservatively.This study based on thinking about the inconsistent results of the correlationbetween ego depletion and decision-trend. First of all, we using the Balloon AnalogueRisk Task(BART) explored ego depletion affect on the decision-trend, the aim is toclarify the relationship between ego depletion and decision making(study1). Then,using theDelay Discount Task(DDT) further explored the psychological mechanism ofego depletion affect on the self control during decision making, this result verify theresult of study1. Finally, we using ERPs measures explored the neural mechanism ofego depletion affect on the decision-trend. The main results whereas follows:(1) Results of study1showed that during the Balloon Analogue Risk Task,relative to low depletion group, individuals in high depletion group making more riskbehaviors(blowing into balloon as much as possible to get more awards), trend to riskseeking.(2) Results of study2showed that during the Delay Discount Task, the maineffect of group about AUC is significantly, the main effect of delayed money aboutAUC is not significantly, and the interaction between group and delayed money is significantly. When delayed money is￥200, the difference of AUC betweenindividuals of high depletion group and low depletion group is significantly; but whendelayed money is￥5000, relative to low depletion group, individuals of highdepletion group’s AUC more lower, this indicated that high depletion group’s discountlevel more higher, decision behaviors more impulsive.(3) Results of study3showed that:(1) behavior data find that the main effect ofreaction time about intertemporal decision is significantly on group, delayed money,and interaction between them; on the reaction probability, the main effect of groupand delayed money is significantly, but interaction of them is not significantly.(2) onthe amplitude of N1component, the main effect of delayed money and the interactionbetween the point of electrodes and group are significantly; on the amplitude of N2component, the interaction between delayed money and group is significantly; on theamplitude of P200component, the interaction during delayed money, the point ofelectrodes and group is significantly; on the amplitude of P300component, the maineffect of delayed money and the point of electrodes and the interaction between themare significantly.Three studies conducted in this paper were reconciled to support that egodepletion increased risk making, and the psychological mechanism is ego depletionlead the self control failure to be happened during decision making, individuals ofhigh depletion group easy to making impulsive decision because lack of self controlresource. In addition, ERPs results find that ego depletion affect on decision makingshowed processing characteristics, aftereffects of ego depletion happened during thetwo phases which is reward processing and control processing. Left of the frontal andthe component of N1, N2, P200, P300are the neural basis which could representedthis impact pathway.