Abstract:

Self-regulation is a core aspect of the self that can be broadly defined as goal-directed behavior. In recent years, more and more researchers bring the concept of working memory capacity (WMC) which belongs to cognitive psychology into the social psychological models of self-regulation. Evidences from these studies show that the WMC and self-regulation are both dependent on a common limited resource. The correlation between WMC and regulation of attention, thought, emotion or impulse behavior have also been confirmed by abundant empirical studies. The collaboration between social psychology, cognitive psychology and neuroscience in the future would bring more insights in the investigation of self-regulation.

Key words: self-regulation, working memory capacity, recourses, dual-task paradigm