Technology and self-regulation: The case of alarm clock use

A study of 417 undergraduate students examined a hypothesized correlation between use of alarm clocks to awaken and self-regulatory skills. As predicted, use of awakening aids (alarm clocks, household members) was negatively correlated with self-regulation measures, while self-awakening was positively correlated with self-regulation. Also as predicted, alarm clock use had larger negative correlations with self-regulation than did being awakened by a household member. The findings suggest that people with poorer self-regulation skills are more likely to rely on technological aids to perform daily tasks.