Chapter 1 - Universiteit Twente

General Discussion
request is presented. In line with the assumptions of the limited-resource model of selfcontrol
(Baumeister, Vohs, & Tice, 2007), it was proposed that the preliminary stage of
these sequential request techniques triggers one underlying psychological mechanism
that accounts for the impact on subsequent compliance: self-regulation failure brought
about by self-regulatory resource depletion (Baumeister et al., 1998; Vohs & Heatherton,
2000; for a review, see Baumeister, Vohs, & Tice, 2007). Like any other behavior that
involves deliberate and regulated responses by the self, it was argued that consciously
attending and actively responding to the initial requests of an influence attempt draws
on a limited intrapsychic resource, akin to strength or energy. In a subsequent state
of self-regulatory resource depletion, the controlled, purposeful self fails to function
effectively, which renders people vulnerable to untoward impulses, habit, routine, and
automatic processes (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007; Vohs et al., 2005), all key indicators of
mindlessness.
The reasoning as stated above was represented in a two-stage model (see Figure 1,
Chapter 1), presenting a self-regulatory resource depletion account of the impact of
sequential request techniques. Specifically, this model claims that yielding to the
initial request-phase of an influence attempt taxes consumers’ self-control resources.
Enhancing the weight on automatic processing, a lowered level of self-regulatory
resources then fosters the use of heuristics, when present in the persuasion context,
which increases the odds of yielding to the target request of the influence technique.
In Chapters 2 and 3, this two-stage model was elaborated and tested in a series of eight
studies, conducted in the laboratory as well as in more naturalistic settings. In Chapter
4, empirical evidence from three studies was presented that extended the claims made
by the two-stage model. Focus was shifted to the motivational aspects of self-regulation
and self-regulatory efficiency was uncovered as a successful (unconscious) defense
strategy against an upcoming persuasive attack, for individuals low in self-control. The
specific outcomes of the experiments presented in each chapter are presented below.
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