%0 Report
        %A Cobb-Clark, Deborah A.
%A Goncalves, Juliana Silva
%A Tymula, Agnieszka
%A Wang, Xueting
        %T The Conceptual Foundations of Self-Control and its Link to Impulsivity and Attention
        %D 2026
        %8 2026 May
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 18646
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18646
        %X Self-control, attention, and impulsivity jointly support goal-directed behavior yet are often examined in isolation with heterogeneous measures. We integrate validated self-reported scales with a hybrid, incentivized behavioral task that synthesizes two canonical experimental designs and adds novel extensions to measure these constructs in a typical work context. Using data from a preregistered four-session online study (N = 443 adults), we characterize the cross-relationships and the relationships between different measures of self-control, attention, and impulsivity and evaluate their contributions to effort allocation over time. More broadly, the study advances an emerging research program that leverages laboratory settings with well-structured economic incentives to examine the role of personality traits and cognitive limitations in economic decision making.
        %K self-control
%K impulsivity
%K attention
%K measurement