Moving beyond deliberative control of impulses: the effect of construal levels on evaluative associations in self-control conflicts.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Experimental laboratory study in social psychology (graded Level 2 by design analogy for experimental research).
PubMed 19493322 · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02372.x
What was done
The authors examined whether subjective mental construal levels (high-level abstract representations vs. low-level concrete representations) alter automatic evaluative associations with temptations. Implicit evaluative associations were assessed using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), and subsequent effects on self-control outcomes were evaluated.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect sizes, or test statistics. The authors report that higher-level construals made it easier for participants to associate temptations with negativity on the IAT, and that these altered evaluative associations promoted self-control.
Why it matters
This work challenges the view that self-control requires conscious, deliberative override of impulses, suggesting instead that cognitive framing can modify automatic evaluative responses to temptations.
Limits
The abstract reports no sample size, participant characteristics, specific stimuli, or quantitative effect sizes. Because tests relied on the Implicit Association Test in a laboratory context, generalizability to sustained, real-world behavioral self-control conflicts cannot be determined from the record.
Cited by
- supports Prompting individuals to reflect on higher-order purposes and reasons ('whys') behind their actions significantly increases their odds of successfully resisting immediate temptation.
- supports Reflecting on higher-order purposes and reasons ('whys') behind decisions increases a person's ability to resist temptation.