The Conceptual Foundations of Self-Control and its Link to Impulsivity and Attention

Deborah A. Cobb-Clark, Juliana Silva-Goncalves, Agnieszka Tymula and Xueting Wang

No 13111, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: Self-control, attention, and impulsivity jointly support goal-directed behavior yet are often examined in isolation with heterogeneous measures. We integrate validated self-reported scales with a hybrid, incentivized behavioral task that synthesizes two canonical experimental designs and adds novel extensions to measure these constructs in a typical work context. Using data from a preregistered four-session online study (N = 443 adults), we characterize the cross-relationships and the relationships between different measures of self-control, attention, and impulsivity and evaluate their contributions to effort allocation over time. More broadly, the study advances an emerging research program that leverages laboratory settings with well-structured economic incentives to examine the role of personality traits and cognitive limitations in economic decision making.

Keywords: self-control; impulsivity; attention; measurement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D81 D83 D91 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_13111

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