A Multilab Replication of the Ego Depletion Effect.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Preregistered multisite randomized experimental replication study
PubMed 34113424 · doi:10.1177/1948550619887702
What was done
A preregistered multilab replication was conducted across 12 laboratories worldwide involving 1,775 participants to evaluate the ego depletion effect. The study replicated an experimental paradigm that used the Stroop task as the depleting intervention and the antisaccade task as the dependent outcome measure.
What was found
The pooled data revealed a small and statistically significant ego depletion effect of Cohen's d = 0.10 across the full sample (N = 1,775). When the analysis excluded participants who were flagged for potential random responding on the outcome task, the observed effect size increased to d = 0.16.
Why it matters
In the context of widespread debate over the replicability and magnitude of ego depletion, this multilab study provides large-sample, preregistered evidence that the effect exists for this specific task pairing, though the observed effect size is very small.
Limits
The abstract does not report confidence intervals, exact p-values, participant demographics, or the degree of between-lab heterogeneity. The findings are restricted to a single operationalization of depletion (Stroop task followed by antisaccade task) and do not evaluate other self-control domains.