Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis

Objectives: Inhibitory control training has been hypothesised as a technique that will improve an individual's ability to overrule impulsive reactions in order to regulate behaviour consistent with long-term goals. Methods: A meta-analysis of 19 studies of inhibitory control training and health...

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Main Authors: Allom, Vanessa, Mullan, Barbara, Hagger, Martin
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2015
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3907
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author Allom, Vanessa
Mullan, Barbara
Hagger, Martin
author_facet Allom, Vanessa
Mullan, Barbara
Hagger, Martin
author_sort Allom, Vanessa
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Objectives: Inhibitory control training has been hypothesised as a technique that will improve an individual's ability to overrule impulsive reactions in order to regulate behaviour consistent with long-term goals. Methods: A meta-analysis of 19 studies of inhibitory control training and health behaviours was conducted to determine the effect of inhibitory control training on reducing harmful behaviours. Theoretically driven moderation analyses were also conducted to determine whether extraneous variables account for heterogeneity in the effect; in order to facilitate the development of effective intervention strategies. Moderators included type of training task, behaviour targeted, measurement of behaviour and training duration. Results: A small but homogeneous effect of training on behaviour was found, d+ = 0.378, CI95 = [0.258, 0.498]. Moderation analyses revealed that the training paradigm adopted, and measurement type influenced the size of the effect such that larger effects were found for studies that employed go/no-go (GNG) training paradigms rather than stop-signal task paradigms, and objective outcome measures that were administered immediately yielded the largest and most consistent effects on behaviour. Conclusions: Results suggest that GNG inhibitory control training paradigms can influence health behaviour, but perhaps only in the short-term. Future research is required to systematically examine the influence of training duration, and the longevity of the training effect. Determining these factors could provide the basis for cost-effective and efficacious health-promoting interventions.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-39072017-09-13T15:37:43Z Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis Allom, Vanessa Mullan, Barbara Hagger, Martin Objectives: Inhibitory control training has been hypothesised as a technique that will improve an individual's ability to overrule impulsive reactions in order to regulate behaviour consistent with long-term goals. Methods: A meta-analysis of 19 studies of inhibitory control training and health behaviours was conducted to determine the effect of inhibitory control training on reducing harmful behaviours. Theoretically driven moderation analyses were also conducted to determine whether extraneous variables account for heterogeneity in the effect; in order to facilitate the development of effective intervention strategies. Moderators included type of training task, behaviour targeted, measurement of behaviour and training duration. Results: A small but homogeneous effect of training on behaviour was found, d+ = 0.378, CI95 = [0.258, 0.498]. Moderation analyses revealed that the training paradigm adopted, and measurement type influenced the size of the effect such that larger effects were found for studies that employed go/no-go (GNG) training paradigms rather than stop-signal task paradigms, and objective outcome measures that were administered immediately yielded the largest and most consistent effects on behaviour. Conclusions: Results suggest that GNG inhibitory control training paradigms can influence health behaviour, but perhaps only in the short-term. Future research is required to systematically examine the influence of training duration, and the longevity of the training effect. Determining these factors could provide the basis for cost-effective and efficacious health-promoting interventions. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3907 10.1080/17437199.2015.1051078 fulltext
spellingShingle Allom, Vanessa
Mullan, Barbara
Hagger, Martin
Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis
title Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis
title_full Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis
title_fullStr Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis
title_short Does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? A meta-analysis
title_sort does inhibitory control training improve health behaviour? a meta-analysis
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3907