Impulse Control Practice Test

Ego depletion is the idea that self-control relies on a limited, energy-like resource that can be exhausted. When you use self-control on one task—like resisting a tempting snack—you tap into that resource. If you then have to continue exerting self-control on another task, your remaining resource is smaller, making it harder to resist impulses or stay focused. That’s why self-control can drop after an initial effort, leading to more impulsive choices or reduced persistence on subsequent tasks. Context helps: classic experiments show people who first engage in a self-control challenge often perform worse on later tasks requiring control. Some researchers have tied the resource to glucose, though the bigger takeaway is the notion of a finite supply that must be replenished. Critics note that motivation, attention, and situational factors also matter, but the tested idea centers on self-control drawing from a limited resource that can be depleted. The other statements don’t fit because they imply self-control always gets easier with practice, or that impulses are always easy to resist, or that self-control isn’t linked to energy or motivation. In ego depletion, effort spent reduces remaining control available for later tasks.