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A comparison of global and specific estimates of self-control

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Abstract

The present study was concerned with assessing subjects' preexisting tendencies to engage in self-control behavior. Rosenbaum's Self-Control Schedule (SCS) was administered to college students prior to participation in the cold pressor test. It was discovered that subjects' scores on the SCS were not predictive of their actual performance on the cold pressor test. After failing to replicate Rosenbaum's findings, task-specific self-efficacy estimates were used to predict performance on the cold pressor test and it was found that these estimates correlated with and were predictive of cold pressor tolerance. These results were discussed with reference to the situation-specificity of self-control behavior and the need to consider situational variables in assessing self-control.

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The author would like to express appreciation to, and acknowledge the contributions to this research of, Debora Jones, John Stierman, Nancy Opsal, Laura Anderson, Susan Pagel, and Nancy Spear, who served as the experimenters.

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Barrios, F.X. A comparison of global and specific estimates of self-control. Cogn Ther Res 9, 455–469 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173093

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