Ego-depletion and prejudice: Separating automatic and controlled components

This study investigated the effect of ego-depletion on the automatic and controlled components of stereotype-based responses. Participants engaged in a depleting task for either a short or a long period of time. They then performed a weapon identification task, which served as a measure of race stereotyping. Analyses guided by the L.L. Jacoby's 0 991) process dissociation procedure indicated that ego-depletion reduced the controlled component of responses, but did not affect the automatic component. Further, ego-depletion increased stereotypical responses only among those participants who showed strong automatic stereotype activation. The discussion focuses on methodologically and theoretically integrating notions of self-control and cognitive control.