Prior self-control exertion and perceptions of pain during a physically demanding task

Boat, R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4897-8118 and Taylor, IM, 2017. Prior self-control exertion and perceptions of pain during a physically demanding task. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 33, pp. 1-6. ISSN 1469-0292

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Abstract

Objectives:
Exertion of self-control has been associated with impaired performance on subsequent physical tasks also requiring self-control, but it remains unknown why this occurs. This study, therefore, explored whether a) prior self-control exertion reduces subsequent persistence on a physically demanding task, and b) whether any observed performance decrements could be explained by changes in perceptions of pain.
Method:
In a within-subject design, sixty-three individuals completed an easy (congruent) Stroop task or a difficult (incongruent) Stroop task that required self-control. Participants were then required to remain in a physically demanding posture (i.e., a ‘wall-sit’) until voluntary exhaustion and their perception of pain was recorded during the task.
Results:
When participants completed the difficult Stroop task, they quit the wall-sit sooner. This decrement in performance was explained by greater perceptions of pain at the beginning of the wall-sit.
Conclusions:
Perceptions of pain may, therefore, be an important attentional mechanism explaining why self-control use interferes with subsequent persistence during physically effortful tasks.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Psychology of Sport and Exercise
Creators:	Boat, R. and Taylor, I.M.
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date:	November 2017
Volume:	33
ISSN:	1469-0292
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.07.005 DOI S1469029216302916 Publisher Item Identifier
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	21 Aug 2017 07:26
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2019 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/31438

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