Does Self-Control Training Improve Self-Control? A Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Perspectives on psychological science Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 1077 - 1099
• Main Authors: Friese, Malte, Frankenbach, Julius, Job, Veronika, Loschelder, David D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Sage Publications, Inc 01.11.2017; SAGE Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Bias; Confidence intervals; Humans; Inactive; Learning; Meta-analysis; Models, Psychological; Self control; meta-analysis; publication bias; intervention; self-control training; robust variance estimation
• ISSN: 1745-6916; 1745-6924
• DOI: 10.1177/1745691617697076

Self-control is positively associated with a host of beneficial outcomes. Therefore, psychological interventions that reliably improve self-control are of great societal value. A prominent idea suggests that training self-control by repeatedly overriding dominant responses should lead to broad improvements in self-control over time. Here, we conducted a random-effects meta-analysis based on robust variance estimation of the published and unpublished literature on self-control training effects. Results based on 33 studies and 158 effect sizes revealed a small-to-medium effect of g = 0.30, confidence interval (CI 95) [0.17, 0.42]. Moderator analyses found that training effects tended to be larger for (a) self-control stamina rather than strength, (b) studies with inactive compared to active control groups, (c) males than females, and (d) when proponents of the strength model of self-control were (co) authors of a study. Bias-correction techniques suggested the presence of small-study effects and/or publication bias and arrived at smaller effect size estimates (range: gcorrected =. 13 to. 24). The mechanisms underlying the effect are poorly understood. There is not enough evidence to conclude that the repeated control of dominant responses is the critical element driving training effects.