Metacognition and polyregulation in daily self-control conflicts

Metacognition is important for self-regulated learning, and it has recently been argued that it may play an important role in self-control more generally. We studied multiple aspects of metacognition in self-control, namely metacognitive knowledge including a person's repertoire ("toolbox") of different self-regulatory strategies, metacognitive regulation (planning, monitoring, and evaluation), and polyregulation (using more self-regulatory strategies in a single self-control conflict) as predictors of people's self-control success in daily life. In a preregistered experience sampling study, N = 503 participants reported their self-control conflicts up to eight times per day for 10 days, yielding 9,639 reports of daily self-control conflicts. Analyses showed that higher levels of metacognitive knowledge, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and polyregulation as well as a larger strategy repertoire were associated with higher levels of success in resolving daily self-control conflicts. Additionally, higher levels of trait self-control were associated with higher levels of metacognitive knowledge, planning, and monitoring. These findings highlight the importance of metacognition and polyregulation for successful self-control.

A mixed methods experience sampling study of a posttraumatic growth model for addiction recovery

Problematic substance use and addiction is a growing crisis in the United States. As a result, identifying factors that effectively promote addiction recovery is, currently, of particular societal importance. Informed by evidence that-while addiction can be perpetuated by stress-related impulsivity and decreased self-regulation-perceived social support is protective against addiction, we test a model for addiction recovery as a form of posttraumatic growth (PTG), focused specifically on close relationships and personal strength-two domains of PTG. In an initial study, we found that perceived social support and impulsivity predicted number of relapses in individuals in a substance use disorder recovery program. Using experience sampling, we then observed that experiencing a stressful event predicted impulsive behavior. However, experiencing closeness with others-a domain of PTG-was directly associated with perceived social support, and both predicted positive emotional states, which were, in turn, inversely associated with experiencing a stressful event. Further, when experiencing a stressful event, personal strength-also a domain of PTG-was inversely associated with impulsive behavior and was predicted by both perceived social support and positive emotional states. Finally, in a follow-up experiment, we found that an ecological momentary intervention targeting perceived social support decreased impulsivity and increased self-regulation-an aspect of personal strength-in a dose-dependent fashion. Taken together, our findings: (1) support a PTG model for recovery; (2) provide evidence for processes by which close supportive relationships are protective against addiction and relapse; and (3) indicate that self-regulation is responsive to a short in-the-moment perceived social support intervention. We suggest that these findings support the theory that addiction is a social disease in the sense that close personal interactions and supportive relationships: (a) buffer against stress-related impulsivity, thereby protecting against addiction and relapse; and (b) increase personal strength, thereby decreasing the probability of impulsive-including addictive-behavior and promoting recovery.

Momentary impulsivity interferes with emotion regulation strategy prioritization in everyday life in remitted depression

BACKGROUND

Selectively prioritizing some emotion regulation (ER) strategies over others has been shown to predict well-being; however, it is unclear what mechanisms underlie this process. Impulsivity, which captures both top-down control of and bottom-up reactivity to emotions, is one potential mechanism of interest.

METHODS

Using multilevel mediation modeling, we investigated whether lower ER strategy prioritization (i.e., lower between-strategy variability) mediates the relationship between greater momentary impulsivity and lower ER success in 82 individuals with remitted depression or no history of a mental disorder (1558 observations). To determine the specific effect of impulsivity, we covaried for mean regulatory effort and negative affect.

RESULTS

The indirect effect of impulsivity on ER success was significant at the within-person, but not between-person, level. Specifically, in moments when individuals endorsed more impulsivity than usual, they showed less ER strategy prioritization than usual, which predicted less successful ER. Individuals who, on average, reported more impulsivity indicated lower ER strategy prioritization, but no difference in ER success.

CONCLUSION

ER strategy prioritization mediated the within-person relationship between greater impulsivity and lower ER success. Interventions focused on training individuals to selectively prioritize ER strategies may improve ER success, particularly when individuals are feeling more impulsive than usual.

Meaning in life and adolescent self-control: Effect of perceived social support and its gender differences

Purpose

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between meaning in life and adolescent self-control, as well as the role of perceived social support and gender in this pathway.

Methods

For this purpose, a total of 936 adolescents from two high schools were selected as subjects in this study. The Meaning in Life Scale, the Self-Control Scale, and the Perceived Social Support Scale were used for the research.

Results

The results obtained in this study have shown that meaning in life is a significant positive predictor of adolescent self-control and perceived social support. In addition, perceived social support partially mediates the relationship between meaning in life and self-control. Further, it has been found that gender moderates the second half of the pathway of the mediation model of meaning in life on self-control, specifically, perceived social support is a stronger predictor of self-control for females than for males.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that enhancing perceived social support promotes self-control in adolescents with lower meaning in life, and this process is more pronounced in females.