| الملخص: |
The primary goal of this research is to explore differences in how unsuccessful and successful self-controllers construe temptations in a self-control conflict. We focus on this self-control conflict from the perspective of construal level theory (CLT; Trope & Liberman, 2003). Past research has shown that high-level construal, relative to low-level construal, promotes successful self-control decisions (e.g. Fujita, 2011; Fujita, Trope, Liberman, & Levin-Sagi, 2006). Unsuccessful self-controllers might repeatedly evoke low-level construal when considering a temptation, whereas successful self-controllers might repeatedly evoke high-level construal when considering a temptation. Over time, this could lead to associations between temptations and construal level. We examined if unsuccessful self-controllers associate temptations with low-level construal to a greater extent and high-level construal to a lesser extent than successful self-controllers. We considered weaker associations between temptations and high-level construal, relative to low-level construal, to be weaker associations, and stronger associations between temptations and high-level construal, relative to low-level construal, to be stronger associations. In three studies, we first examined whether participants associate temptations with construal level using a single category IAT. We then examined if unsuccessful dieters show a cognitive signature of weaker associations, and if this is attenuated for successful dieters. Although all three studies indicated that participants associate temptations with low-level construal, only Studies 1 and 2 showed the expected pattern where unsuccessful dieters had weaker associations and these weaker associations were attenuated for successful dieters. We also examined if these weaker associations predicted future self-control failure with a variety of in-lab self-control measures. Overall, all three studies provided some descriptive evidence for the role of these associations in predicting self-control failure. Finally, in Study 3 we used two measurement checks to assess whether participants with weaker associations (stronger associations) actually construed temptations in low-level (high-level) terms. These measurement checks provided mixed results, and possible reasons for this inconsistency are discussed. Important future directions, as well as implications for self-control and construal level theory, are discussed. |
