Abstract
Female undergraduates were assigned to one of three groups, two involving regulatory training and one not. Training participants performed for 2 weeks tasks that required strong behavioral restraint (Strong Training) or weak behavioral restraint (Weak Training). Later, they took part in (1) a laboratory session in which they performed tasks with inhibitory components, and (2) a follow-up week in which they provided health behavior reports and used designated dental supplies. No Training participants took part only in the session and follow-up week. As expected, laboratory performance was improved for Strong- relative to No Training participants, with performance for Weak Training participants falling in between. Also as expected, Strong Training participants used more floss in the follow-up week than did the No Training participants, with floss for Weak Training participants falling between. Contrary to expectation, Strong Training participants used less toothpaste and reported having brushed less than the No Training participants. In addition, Strong Training participants evinced exaggerated—rather than diminished—cardiovascular responses during the laboratory tasks. The performance and floss use data support the suggestion that inhibitory system strength can be increased through use. The brushing and cardiovascular findings may be interpretable in inhibitory strength terms.
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Notes
The computer training programs were written by Aeron Gault, a computer systems analyst in the UAB Psychology department.
We also administered in the laboratory session a modified version of the Insomnia Severity Index (Morin 1993). We did so to evaluate sleep difficulties that participants might have had in the preceding 2 weeks. Analyses showed no differences among groups and no relations between index scores and measures of inhibitory strength. Therefore, this questionnaire will not be discussed further here.
The experimenter took CV samples at 30 s intervals during this rest period, starting at 30 s and ending at 2 min. Values were comparable to those obtained at baseline and did not differ across conditions, Fs < 1.0, ns.
Results for attempts were redundant to those for successes. They indicated the a linear trend (p = .03), with values being greater for Strong- than Weak Training participants, but equivalent for Weak- and No Training participants. Analysis of the success data without the covariate indicated a near-reliable linear trend, F (1, 50) = 3.73, p = .059, and no quadratic effect, F < 1.0.
To guard against measurement (e.g., movement) artifact, we omitted change values that deviated by more than two standard deviations from the mean of their group. The regression of change onto baseline values was non-reliable for all CV measures. Nonetheless, we also examined all change scores with analyses of covariance, including base as the covariate. Findings were virtually identical to those from the ANOVAs.
Additional analyses were performed on the CV change scores excluding scores for the Strong Training participant who had extreme d2 task performance scores. Findings were the same as those obtained with scores for this person included. New Strong Training means for SBP were 17.87 (d2) and 26.10 (cold tolerance). New Strong Training means for DBP were 10.43 (d2) and 17.20 (cold tolerance). New Strong Training means for MAP were 14.64 (d2) and 19.93 (cold tolerance). New Strong Training means for HR were 6.18 (d2) and 12.80 (cold tolerance).
Analysis of the remaining floss data without the covariate yielded a near-reliable linear trend, F (1, 51) = 3.84, p = .056, with no quadratic component, F < 1.0.
Analysis of the brushing report measure without the covariate yielded only a linear trend, F (1, 51) = 6.81, p = .01 (quadratic trend: F < 1.0).
Analysis of the risky behavior measure without the covariate yielded a marginal linear trend, F (1, 51) = 3.07, p = .086, with no quadratic component, F < 1.0.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a grant from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center. Siu-kuen Azor Hui is now at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri.
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Hui, Sk.A., Wright, R.A., Stewart, C.C. et al. Performance, cardiovascular, and health behavior effects of an inhibitory strength training intervention. Motiv Emot 33, 419–434 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-009-9146-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-009-9146-0