Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Social behavior includes behaviors that are influenced, directly or indirectly, by the realistic, anticipated, imagined, or implied presences of others. Particular social behaviors such as altruism or aggression may vary in how accessible they are, depending on the degree of self-control that has been recently exerted. Specifically, self-control fatigue, or ego depletion, seems to make aggression more likely and altruism less. However, individuals who are psychologically flexible, or who tend to be in contact with the present moment while engaging in behaviors that support the pursuit of values may not respond to ego depletion with the same changes to social behavior. This study attempted to replicate previous research relating ego depletion to social behavior, and to extend that research by examining how psychological flexibility may buffer that relationship. Data were collected from undergraduate college students (N = 457) who were divided into a group where a Stroop Task was used to induce ego depletion for the experimental group (i.e., ED), and not for the control (i.e., NED). Participants played a Dictator Game to assess altruism and a Tangram Help Hurt Task to assess aggression, before finally being administered the MPFI-24 to assess psychological flexibility. Contradictory to previous research, individuals in the NED and ED groups engaged in similar degrees of altruistic and aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, psychological flexibility did not buffer the effects ego depletion had on altruism and aggression. Post-hoc analyses revealed that design decisions may have contributed to participants in the ED not becoming adequately ego depleted.

Date

13-1-2026

Committee Chair

Emily Sandoz

DOI

https://proquest.com/docview/3292480230

First Committee Member

David R. Perkins

Second Committee Member

Mark LaCour

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