The Effect Of Ego Depletion On The Risk Propensity In An Investment Task

Self-control refers to the processes by which the self intentionally alters its own responses.The strength model of self-control supposed that any acts of self-control depends on a limited resource,and the prior exertion of self-control leads to impaired performance on the subsequent self-control task.According to the strength model,following exertion of self-control,individuals would be in the state of ego depletion and one's cognition,behavior and emotion could be affected temporarily.The present research focuses on the relationship between ego depletion and decision making under risk.In the decision making processes,self-control plays an important role.So,when the self-control resource was depleted would have an effect on the decision processes.And How does self-control depletion affect the risk proclivity in the specific decision situation? What is the underlying psychological process? Based on ego depletion theory and its relationship with risk decision making,in study 1,we used Multi-source interference task as a dependent task to examine the effectiveness of the Stroop task as the depleting task.In study 2,using the Stroop task as the depleting task,we tried to examine that depleted individuals' risk proclivity in the investment task that involves some possible loss.In study 3,we introduced fear of failure as an alternative explanation for the impact of reduced self-control resources on risk-taking inclinations.In study 1,Sixty-two students participated in this experiment(depletion vs.no depletion).Participants in the high depletion condition finished a Stroop task in which most trials were incongruent,and in the control depletion,all trials were congruent.The results revealed that subjects in the depletion condition shows a highly significant mean increase in RT on incongruent trials,and demonstrated the depleting task's effectiveness.In study 2,participants firstly completed the Stroop task,and then they worked on the decision scenario that involves some possible loss,in this way we examined the effect of ego depletion on the risk decision making.The results showed that subjects in the depletion condition invest less in the risky option than the subjects in the control condition,indicating that a lower availability of self-control resources increases risk aversion in the decision scenario with possible loss.In study 3,using the investment decisions that also involve some potential loss,we asked participants to complete the task,and then measured their reaction times in a lexical decision task to examine the activatability of fear of failure.The results showed that the mean proportion of the 20 rounds in which the depleted participants decided not to invest was higher than non-depleted participants.This is consistent with the results of study 2,indicating that the ego depleted individuals become risk averse in the specific decision situation.However,in the activation of fear of failure,there was no significant difference between the ego depleted participants and non-depleted participants,indicating that fear of failure may not be an alternative explanations for the effect of ego depletion on risk decision making.Thus,three studies provides evidence that using the Stroop task as depleting task,ego depleted individuals become risk averse in the decision scenarios involving possible loss threats.And ego depletion has an effect on the decision making under risk.