Self-Regulation Failure and College Hookup Culture

Caity Begg

Psychology 1504

Research Question

I will design a study that evaluates the college hookup culture in terms of self-regulation failure.

 

What role does resource depletion and the "what the hell effect" play in college students engaging in casual (often unprotected) sex? What are the emotional and social implications in this lack of self-regulation?

Background: Terms

Hook Up Culture: The tendency of millennials to engage in casual sex during college rather than form lasting, long-term relationships. 

 

Self-Regulation: Ability to exert control over thoughts and behavior

 

"What the Hell Effect": A form of self-regulation failure involving a "chain reaction" of self-harming behaviors 

 

 

 

Types of Self-Regulation Failure

1. Resource Depletion
2. Exposure to impulse-related cues
3. Emotional or social distress
4. Abstinence violations
5. Influence of others

 

 

Basis for Proposed Research

• Self regulation involves more than metacognitive knowledge--also involves personal agency, motivation and behavioral processes to act accordingly (Zimmerman) 

 

• Studies show that casual hookups can have a negative emotional effect; especially in women (Kenney, Thadani, Ghaidarov, LaBrie) 

• Perceived negative judgment from casual sexual encounters presents college aged individuals at the risk of social isolation (Vrangalova, Bukberg, Rieger)

• Underregulation and Misregulation and causes (Baumeister and Heatherton)

Link between SRF and Hookups

In analyzing what type of self-regulation failure most reliably leads to this sort of outcome, it must be noted that not all hookups are the result of the "what the hell effect". 

• Alcohol increases the likelihood of impulsive behavior and abstinence violations
• Peer influence plays a large role in this
• Influence of mood and past sexual experiences
• Effect reward area of the brain 

Self-Regulation Failure and Sex

Please consider what parts of Erin's night contributed to her decision to have sex with Bob:

 

• Erin had a very stressful week at school. She goes to a bar with her friend and drinks alcohol. She meets a boy at a bar named Bob. Her friend, Maggie, begins to talk to Bob's friend Kevin. Maggie decides to leave the bar and go home with Kevin. Erin decides to back to Bob's apartment as well. Erin had sex at a bar last week after running into someone she knew... this was the first time she had had sex in three months. Erin ends up having sex with Bob.

 

 

Elements Contributing to Erin's Self-Regulation Failure 

• Stress
• Presence of Alcohol
• Peer influence
• Impulsive behavior 
• Considering recent actions (had sex a few weeks ago) in current decisions 

 

 

 

Hypotheses & Predictions

• There are many reasons why a millennial may engage in casual sex; one of which is a result of self-regulation failure. (Others include relieving stress, pure sexual desire, using it as a proxy for a potential relationship)

 

• The likelihood of casual sex as a result of the "what the hell effect" hinges on the presence of impulse-related cues, emotional distress, abstinence violation, and the influence of others--this goes along with the level of activity observed in the reward and control areas of the brain.

 

Methodology

 

Who are participants? College students

Independent Variable: levels of self-regulation failure (judgments)

Dependent Variable: engagement in casual sex (brain activity)

What will they do?

Participate in an fMRI study. Participants will be imaged under three conditions while making judgments. They will be interviewed beforehand.

 

 

 

Methodology

 

 

 

Three conditions / video:

1) Self-Regulation Failure - hookup culture

2) Self-Regulation Failure - alternative situation

3) Neutral Condition 

 

looking at activity in brain regions involved in reward, motivation, emotion (ventral striatum, amygdala) as they compare to activity in brain regions involved in controlling thoughts and behaviors (dorsolateral PFC)

 

 

 

Interpreting Predictions

 

• Practical ways to think of potentially increasing self-regulatory capacity

 

• Specifically target factors that increase the link between self-regulation failure and casual sex 

 

• Influence of reward and control areas of brain on self-regulation failures