Fatigue and Inhibitory Control: A Test of Key Implications of an Emerging Analysis of Behavioral Restraint Intensity

• Main Author: Mlynski, Christopher
• Other Authors: Wright, Rex A.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Texas 2019
• Subjects: Effort; Cardiovascular Response; Behavioral Restraint; Inhibitory Control
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1609131/

Agtarap, Wright, Mlynski, Hammad, and Blackledge took an initial step in providing support for the predictive validity of a new conceptual analysis concerned with behavioral restraint - defined as active resistance against a behavioral impulse or urge. The current study was designed to partially replicate and extend findings from their study, employing a common film clip protocol and a procedure for inducing low- and high levels of fatigue. Analyses indicated that key cardiovascular (CV) responses rose with the evocativeness of the film clip among low fatigue participants but fell with the evocativeness of the film clip among high fatigue participants. This is consistent with the prediction that high fatigue participants would put forth more restrain intensity than low fatigue participants when confronted with the less evocative clip, but less restraint intensity than low fatigue participants when confronted with the more evocative clip. Behavioral restraint performance - quantified as duration of facial non-neutrality - was also consistent with predictions, being impaired by fatigue under high- but not low evocativeness conditions. Findings support the broad theoretical suggestion that fatigue influence on behavioral restraint is multifaceted, dependent on the perceived magnitude of the impulse or urge experienced and the importance of resisting it.