Self Control

Question 1

what is self control

Answer 1

the issue where we have some desires about ourselves in the long term, but generally struggle to keep up with that in the short term

Question 2

what is our issue with self control?

Answer 2

we tend to overfocus on the present
–> ignore things of actual importance and focus on the time when we have to do these things

Question 3

why is it easier to make healthy choices looking forward?

Answer 3

because we hold a more idealized version of ourselves but we never really reach that future

Question 4

2 possible approaches for self control

Answer 4

1. reward substitution
2. self-control contracts

Question 5

reward substitution

Answer 5

= since we’re not designed to think about long-term rewards, one of the tricks we can use is reward substitution. This involves creating benefits or rewards in the present that motivate us to behave in ways that serve our long-term goals.

Question 6

self-control contracts

Answer 6

= When we know that we’ll be tempted, and we’re doing something to avoid being tempted
–> alarm clocks that don’t snooze or donate $ to charities if you don’t wake up

Question 7

denver drug program

Answer 7

-If you were an addict, you could go to that organization and write a self-incriminating letter about their drug habit, then say who was the person who feared the most
The organization would get the letter ready, stamp it, and hold it in trust
Would then measure people’s blood level;s and if they found drug residue, would mail the letter

Question 8

what was the issue with the denver drug program

Answer 8

• arguably violates human freedom

Question 9

how do we evaluate significance?

Answer 9

using p-value of .05
–> arbitrary # set by Fischer

Question 10

acc to recent statical analyses, how many PUBLISHED studies are wrong?

Answer 10

1/3

Question 11

reproducibility project

Answer 11

replicated 100 past studies
only 36% had statistically significant positive results
–> and even then many relationships tested as weaker

Question 12

ways that researchers manipulate their studies to show certain results

Answer 12

• measuring multiple DVs and choosing which one
• having small sample sizes
• p-value being only valid for a signle measure
• p-hacking
• adding more DVs or observations
• controlling for gender

Question 13

p-hacking

Answer 13

deciding how to analyze data based on observations of that data

Question 14

why do people sometimes willingly engage in manipulation?

Answer 14

there’s a lot of incentive to publish papers
–> and papers are only really published if they have intersting new findings
–> also journals don’t typically publish replications so less people do it

Question 15

what has happened regarding academic honesty in the last 10 yrs?

Answer 15

• more large scale replication effortrs
• researchers recognize the issue and gith
• websites created to track which studies are proven false
• online repositories for online negative result s
• journals that promise to publish even if no results show up

Question 16

why is self-control so hard?

Answer 16

The cost of immediate misery seems much worse than the benefits for the future self
–> concern for present self rather than future self

Question 17

ego depletion theory

Answer 17

we can think of self control as a muscle, which can get tired and occasionally fails

Question 18

what are some p-hacking red flags?

Answer 18

• small samples
• p’s that are really close to .05
• random covariates (randomly controlling for demographic variables w.o giving reason)