The relation between fluid intelligence and self-regulatory depletion

Abstract

Self-regulation depends on a limited resource that can be depleted temporarily, but little is known about how this resource relates to individual differences in cognitive ability. We investigated whether self-regulatory depletion would vary with individual differences in fluid intelligence (gF), a stable index of cognitive ability with ties to executive function. Participants performed an emotion regulation task varying in self-regulatory demand, followed by the Multi-Source Interference Task to assess depletion. On a separate day, participants completed Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices to assess gF. Emotion suppression led to impairment on the interference task, indicating self-regulatory depletion. Critically, higher gF was associated with greater depletion. Controlling for variables reflecting susceptibility to task demands and trait motivation did not influence this effect. The results have implications for theories of the relation between self-regulatory and cognitive abilities, and the mechanisms supporting the control of behaviour.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to the first author.

The authors thank Marcia K. Johnson, Marvin M. Chun, John A. Bargh, and Colin G. DeYoung for comments on a previous draft, and Jennifer A. Richeson for advice on the experimental paradigm.