A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vohs, Kathleen D.; Schmeichel, Brandon J.; Lohmann, Sophie; Gronau, Quentin F.; Finley, Anna J.; Ainsworth, Sarah E.; Alquist, Jessica L.; Baker, Michael D.; Brizi, Ambra; Bunyi, Angelica; Butschek, Grant J.; Campbell, Collier; Capaldi, Jonathan; Cau, Chuting; Chambers, Heather; Chatzisarantis, Nikos L. D.; Christensen, Weston J.; Clay, Samuel L.; Curtis, Jessica; De Cristofaro, Valeria; del Rosario, Kareena; Diel, Katharina; Doğruol, Yasemin; Doi, Megan; Donaldson, Tina L.; Eder, Andreas B.; Ersoff, Mia; Eyink, Julie R.; Falkenstein, Angelica; Fennis, Bob M.; Findley, Matthew B.; Finkel, Eli J.; Forgea, Victoria; Friese, Malte; Fuglestad, Paul; Garcia-Willingham, Natasha E.; Geraedts, Lea F.; Gervais, Will M.; Giacomantonio, Mauro; Gibson, Bryan; Gieseler, Karolin; Gineikiene, Justina; Gloger, Elana M.; Gobes, Carina M.; Grande, Maria; Hagger, Martin S.; Hartsell, Bethany; Hermann, Anthony D.; Hidding, Jasper J.; Hirt, Edward R.; Hodge, Josh; Hofmann, Wilhelm; Howell, Jennifer L.; Hutton, Robert D.; Inzlicht, Michael; James, Lily; Johnson, Emily; Johnson, Hannah L.; Joyce, Sarah M.; Joye, Yannick; Kaben, Jan Helge; Kammrath, Lara K.; Kelly, Caitlin N.; Kissell, Brian L.; Koole, Sander L.; Krishna, Anand; Lam, Christine; Lee, Kelemen T.; Lee, Nick; Leighton, Dana C.; Loschelder, David D.; Maranges, Heather M.; Masicampo, E. J.; Mazara, Kennedy; McCarthy, Samantha; McGregor, Ian; Mead, Nicole L.; Mendes, Wendy B.; Meslot, Carine; Michalak, Nicholas M.; Milyavskaya, Marina; Miyake, Akira; Moeini-Jazani, Mehrad; Muraven, Mark; Nakahara, Erin; Patel, Krishna; Petrocelli, John V.; Pollak, Katja M.; Price, Mindi M.; Ramsey, Haley J.; Rath, Maximilian; Robertson, Jacob A.; Rockwell, Rachael; Russ, Isabella F.; Salvati, Marco; Saunders, Blair; Scherer, Anne; Schütz, Astrid; Schmitt, Kristin N.; Segerstrom, Suzanne C.; Serenka, Benjamin; Sharpinskyi, Konstantyn; Shaw, Meaghan; Sherman, Janelle; Song, Yu; Sosa, Nicholas; Spillane, Kaitlyn; Stapels, Julia; Stinnett, Alec J.; Strawser, Hannah R.; Sweeny, Kate; Theodore, Dominic; Tonnu, Karine; van Oldenbeuving, Yasmijn; vanDellen, Michelle R.; Vergara, Raiza C.; Walker, Jasmine S.; Waugh, Christian E.; Weise, Feline; Werner, Kaitlyn M.; Wheeler, Craig; White, Rachel A.; Wichman, Aaron L.; Wiggins, Bradford J.; Wills, Julian A.; Wilson, Janie H.; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan; Albarracín, Dolores;
• Is Part Of: Psychological science. Volume 32:Number 10(2021)
• Page Start: 1566
• Page End: 1581
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: ego depletion -- self-control -- registered replication -- open data -- open materials -- preregistered; Psychology -- Periodicals; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1177/0956797621989733
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0956-7976

Abstract

We conducted a preregistered multilaboratory project ( k = 36; N = 3, 531) to assess the size and robustness of ego-depletion effects using a novel replication method, termed the paradigmatic replication approach . Each laboratory implemented one of two procedures that was intended to manipulate self-control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of self-control. Confirmatory tests found a nonsignificant result ( d = 0.06). Confirmatory Bayesian meta-analyses using an informed-prior hypothesis (δ = 0.30, SD = 0.15) found that the data were 4 times more likely under the null than the alternative hypothesis. Hence, preregistered analyses did not find evidence for a depletion effect. Exploratory analyses on the full sample (i.e., ignoring exclusion criteria) found a statistically significant effect ( d = 0.08); Bayesian analyses showed that the data were about equally likely under the null and informed-prior hypotheses. Exploratory moderator tests suggested that the depletion effect was larger for participants who reported more fatigue but was not moderated by trait self-control, willpower beliefs, or action orientation.