The dual-task paradigm used to detect depletion requires that
participants engage in two acts that belong to different spheres of
self-control (Baumeister et al., 1998). For example, if the initial act
of self-control involves thought control (trying to not think of a target
word) the second act may involve impulse control (trying to not eat
a delicious snack). Other than permitting researchers to test whether
different acts of self-control consume energy from a common resource,
this paradigm also allows researchers to eliminate the impact
of cognitions or affective experiences, that develop during initial
exposure to self-control tasks (i.e., boredom, low levels of selfefficacy),
in affecting willingness to exert effort on the second selfcontrol
task