Ego depletion is simply a function of conflict between controllers—PCT predicts that two systems in conflict will trigger maximal activation of the neural pathways involved in the conflict, like two competing thermostats simultaneously running the heat and A/C at maximum. And this would naturally expected to result in overuse of brain fuel (e.g. glucose).
OK, this is very good; this is an area in which PCT seems to make relatively clear testable predictions, one of which correctly predicts already known data on ego depletion, brain activity and glucose level. Why didn’t you bring this up earlier? This is exactly the sort of thing we’ve been asking for. Clever fMRI studies showing a wide variety of mental distress as conflicts between different systems, escalating in activity and glucose use until one can’t keep up, would be strong evidence in favor of your account.
As I remarked elsewhere in the thread, it looks quite reasonable to me that we have some control circuits at various levels of our mental architecture; what I balk at is the assertion that these control circuits comprise all (or nearly all) of the architecture. But if evidence of this sort were found, I could be convinced.
OK, this is very good; this is an area in which PCT seems to make relatively clear testable predictions, one of which correctly predicts already known data on ego depletion, brain activity and glucose level. Why didn’t you bring this up earlier?
Probably because it seemed way too obvious to me. In the first draft of Thinking Things Done, I predicted we’d eventually find ego depletion to be an energy drain due to muscles fighting each other (rather than nerves as predicted by PCT), because that was an expected outcome from my model of conflicting impulses.
I thus viewed PCT as merely a minor enhancement over my own model (in this specific area), since it showed how you could get the effect even without any muscle movement. (My hypothesis was that emotion-suppression tasks in ego-depletion research were physically draining because they required you to override somatic markers.)
I actually think it’s pretty likely that both are the case, though—i.e., PCT’s maximum neural outputs would in some cases also cause conflicting muscle contractions, in addition to the neurally-based energy depletion. (Also, when I made my prediction, the research showing widespread brain activity for ego-depleting tasks hadn’t been done yet, or at least hadn’t made its way to me yet.)
Anyway, I have a tendency to forget that most people don’t know what I know; things like this seem obvious to me, as there are far fewer inferential steps between my (old) model and PCT, than there are between naive anthropomorphic psychology and PCT.
OK, this is very good; this is an area in which PCT seems to make relatively clear testable predictions, one of which correctly predicts already known data on ego depletion, brain activity and glucose level. Why didn’t you bring this up earlier? This is exactly the sort of thing we’ve been asking for. Clever fMRI studies showing a wide variety of mental distress as conflicts between different systems, escalating in activity and glucose use until one can’t keep up, would be strong evidence in favor of your account.
As I remarked elsewhere in the thread, it looks quite reasonable to me that we have some control circuits at various levels of our mental architecture; what I balk at is the assertion that these control circuits comprise all (or nearly all) of the architecture. But if evidence of this sort were found, I could be convinced.
Probably because it seemed way too obvious to me. In the first draft of Thinking Things Done, I predicted we’d eventually find ego depletion to be an energy drain due to muscles fighting each other (rather than nerves as predicted by PCT), because that was an expected outcome from my model of conflicting impulses.
I thus viewed PCT as merely a minor enhancement over my own model (in this specific area), since it showed how you could get the effect even without any muscle movement. (My hypothesis was that emotion-suppression tasks in ego-depletion research were physically draining because they required you to override somatic markers.)
I actually think it’s pretty likely that both are the case, though—i.e., PCT’s maximum neural outputs would in some cases also cause conflicting muscle contractions, in addition to the neurally-based energy depletion. (Also, when I made my prediction, the research showing widespread brain activity for ego-depleting tasks hadn’t been done yet, or at least hadn’t made its way to me yet.)
Anyway, I have a tendency to forget that most people don’t know what I know; things like this seem obvious to me, as there are far fewer inferential steps between my (old) model and PCT, than there are between naive anthropomorphic psychology and PCT.