Harvard Psychology Literature Review Example: Self-Regulation & Motivated Cognition

5 psychology-specific scoring dimensions (combined with Harvard)

Dimension Poor signal Strong signal

1 Theory vs. mechanism Lists studies as isolated facts Places each study inside a mechanism (self-efficacy → behavior initiation; ego depletion → limited resource)

2 Effect-size / replication honesty Cites classic effect as settled Names the effect size and the replication crisis (ego depletion d≈.62 Hagger 2010 → d=.04 Hagger 2016 → d≈.06 Vohs 2021)

3 Citation mix All (Author, Year) ≥40% narrative; et al. roman; and not &; all authors on first citation

4 Harvard mechanics APA-style &, double-quoted articles, no place and in citations, single quotes, et al. roman, London: Routledge

5 Precise gap "More research needed" Names construct × population × paradigm × outcome

Strong draft (Harvard / Cite Them Right 12th, annotated)

[Thesis / scope] Contemporary psychology explains motivated behavior through two partially overlapping mechanisms—self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura, 1977) that initiate and sustain goal-directed action, and limited self-regulatory resources (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven and Tice, 1998) that deplete with use—but the field's confidence in the second mechanism has fractured since 2010. [Narrative, classic] Bandura (1977) proposed that expectations of personal efficacy, derived from mastery experience, vicarious learning, verbal persuasion, and physiological state, determine whether coping behavior is initiated and sustained. [Parenthetical, multi-source, alphabetical] This account informed later work on mindsets (Dweck, 2006) and on the bounded rationality of decision-making under risk (Kahneman and Tversky, 1979). [Mechanism 2 + counter-evidence] The strength model of self-control (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven and Tice, 1998) treated ego depletion as a muscle-like resource: initial self-control reduced persistence on unrelated tasks. Hagger, Wood, Stiff and Chatzisarantis (2010) meta-analyzed 83 studies and reported a medium-to-large effect (Cohen's d = .62). [Replication crisis — three-wave] However, the first multi-lab preregistered replication (Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Alberts et al., 2016, 23 labs, N = 2,141) found only d = .04, and a second, larger replication (Vohs, Schmeichel, Lohmann et al., 2021, 36 labs, N = 3,531) found d ≈ .06—prompting a reclassification of ego depletion from established mechanism to contested construct. [Synthesis] The defensible conclusion is now narrower than the 1998–2010 consensus: self-efficacy remains a robust predictor of behavior initiation (Bandura, 1977; Dweck, 2006), whereas the resource-depletion account of self-control survives only as a contextual, moderator-bound phenomenon, not a universal law. [Precise gap] What remains untested is whether depletion-style effects reappear under ecologically valid repeated-measure designs with individual-differences moderators (trait self-control, glucose sensitivity, motivational framing)—a gap that matters because lab-based one-shot depletion tasks may have masked both null effects and genuine boundary conditions.

[Evidence-quality subsection] Design hierarchy separates the survivors from the casualties. [Narrative, meta-analysis] Hagger, Wood, Stiff and Chatzisarantis (2010) supplied the last stable estimate of ego depletion (d = .62) before the replication era; its 83-study pool is now understood to suffer from publication bias and small-study effects. [Parenthetical, replications] The two registered replications (Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Alberts et al., 2016; Vohs, Schmeichel, Lohmann et al., 2021) used larger samples, preregistration, and the original protocols (with modifications Baumeister disputed), and both returned nulls. [Synthesis] By contrast, self-efficacy research has not faced an equivalent crisis: Bandura (1977) is a theoretical integration rather than a single-effect claim, and Dweck's (2006) mindset program, while criticized for overstatement (see the APA×Psychology counterpart), has not been null-replicated at the construct level. [Gap restatement] Future reviews should separate construct-level theories (self-efficacy) from single-effect paradigms (ego-depletion tasks) when grading evidentiary confidence.

[Decision-science subsection] A second thread—judgment under risk—feeds the same self-regulation question from the cognitive side. [Narrative, 2 authors] Kahneman and Tversky (1979) showed that people evaluate gains and losses asymmetrically (loss aversion, certainty effect), implying that self-regulation failures may reflect valuation architecture rather than depleted resources. [Parenthetical] This reframing anticipates later dual-process accounts (Kahneman, 2011) and undercuts pure-resource models: if self-control failure is partly a weighting problem, then depletion is not a muscle but a miscalculation. [Precise gap] A literature review that treats ego depletion and prospect-theory valuation as unrelated subfields misses their shared dependent variable—persistence under cost.

In-text citation audit (Harvard / CTR 12th demonstrated)

Convention established here (applies to 11b/11c/11d): on the first citation of a 3+ author work, list all authors up to the last, joined by and; on every subsequent citation, use FirstAuthor et al.

• 1 author: Bandura (1977) / (Bandura, 1977)

• 2 authors: Kahneman and Tversky (1979) / (Kahneman and Tversky, 1979) — and, not &

• 3+ authors, FIRST citation: (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven and Tice, 1998) — all four listed, and before the last

• 3+ authors, SUBSEQUENT: (Baumeister et al., 1998) — et al. in roman, not italicized

• 6+ authors, FIRST citation: (Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Alberts, Anggono, Batailler, Birt et al., 2016) — full list in the reference list; in-text you may give the first six followed by et al. per your department's preference; this review gives all names on first citation for transparency

• 6+ authors, SUBSEQUENT: (Hagger et al., 2016) / (Vohs et al., 2021)

• Multi-source: (Bandura, 1977; Dweck, 2006; Kahneman and Tversky, 1979) — alphabetical, semicolon-separated

• Page number: (Bandura, 1977, p. 193) — comma before p.

• Indirect: only when the original is genuinely unread — (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven and Tice, 1998, cited in Hagger, Chatzisarantis, Alberts et al., 2016)

Reference list (Harvard / Cite Them Right 12th)

Reference list

Bandura, A. (1977) 'Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change', Psychological Review, 84(2), pp. 191–215. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M. and Tice, D. M. (1998) 'Ego depletion: is the active self a limited resource?', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), pp. 1252–1265. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252

Dweck, C. S. (2006) Mindset: the new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

Hagger, M. S., Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., Alberts, H., Anggono, C. O., Batailler, C., Birt, A. R., Brand, R., Brandt, M. J., Brewer, G., Brugman, C. L., Calvillo, D. P., Campbell, W. K., Cannon, P. R., Carlucci, L., Carruth, N. P., Cheung, T. T. L., Crowell, A., de Ridder, D. T. D., DeCoster, J., Denton, E. A., Evans, J. R., Fay, A. L., Fennis, B. M., Finley, A. J., Foreman, K. M., Gorman, R. M., Grieve, A. A., Guerin, S. A., van't Hof, P., Howell, J. L., Joyce, K. M., Keatley, D. A., Keller, V. N., Klein, W. M. P., Laham, S. M., Lazarevic, L. B., Leander, N. P., Levitan, C. A., Liao, S., Liu, J., Lu, J., Mead, N. L., Sarmiento, I. M., Stillman, T. F., Tuk, M. A., Webber, D. and Zerhouni, O. (2016) 'A multilab preregistered replication of the ego-depletion effect', Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(4), pp. 546–573. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/ 1745691616652873

Hagger, M. S., Wood, C., Stiff, C. and Chatzisarantis, N. L. D. (2010) 'Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: a meta-analysis', Psychological Bulletin, 136(4), pp. 495–525. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019486

Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, fast and slow. London: Allen Lane.

Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1979) 'Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk', Econometrica, 47(2), pp. 263–291. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/1914185

Vohs, K. D., Schmeichel, B. J., Lohmann, S., Gronau, Q. F., Finley, A. J., Ainsworth, S. E., Alquist, J. L., Baker, M. D., Brizi, A., Bunyi, A., Butschek, G. J., Campbell, C., Capaldi, J., Cau, C., Chambers, H., Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., Christensen, W. J., Clay, S. L., Curtis, J., De Cristofaro, V., del Rosario, K., Diel, K., Doğruol, Y., Doi, M., Donaldson, T. L., Eder, A. B., Ersoff, M., Finn, M. T. A., Forbes, E., Franco, F., Frenzel, A. C., Gästeke, S. C., Giannakakis, A., Gomez, A., Häfner, A., Hahn, C., Hanson, E. M., Hart, W., Hicks, J. A., Höchstädter, L., Huber, M., Imhoff, R., Job, V., Jordan, J. A., Kappes, A., König, L., Köpf, L., Kowalick, J., Krause, R. J., Lammers, J., Lee, J. J., Lopez, A. M., Martarella, S., McMahon, S. R., Meier, E. L., Menkhoff, L., Meyer, A., Miernicki, M., Motyl, M., Newman, D. P., Nong, N., Oswald, F., Packer, D. J., Panno, A., Polzer, C., Pönitz, V., Porciello, G., Priester, P. E., Rall, S., Ramsey, M., Reinhard, M. A., Reisenauer, L. A., Renneberg, B., Rutchick, J. A., Sackett, A. M., Sala, M., Salomon, E., Saxler, J., Scheibe, S., Scherer, L. D., Schmid, P. C., Schmidt, K., Schmitt, M., Schnabel, K., Schöne, J., Schulz, A., Schütz, A., Sezer, I., Shnabel, N., Sinnott-Armstrong, W., Smith, D. L., Speth, L., Srivastava, S., Stamos, A., Steward, B. T., Stoetzer, L., Storbeck, J., Stroebe, W., Tam, K.-P., Towner, E., Tybur, J. M., Ullrich, J., Vainapel, E., Van Doren, N., Vehar, N., Wagner, L., Wan, W., Wentura, D., Wiegand, K., Wiggins, B., Williams, S. L., Wohl, M. J. A., Wood, S. M., Zacher, H., Zerhouni, O. and Albarracín, D. (2021) 'A multilab preregistered replication of the ego-depletion effect', Psychological Science, 32(10), pp. 1491–1508. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797621989735

Format checks (Cite Them Right 12th): • Heading "Reference list", centered; alphabetized A → B → B → D → H → H → K → K → V

• Surname, Initial. (no space in initials: Bandura, A.)

• (Year) after author block; article titles in single quotes, sentence case

• Journal names italicized, title case; Volume(Issue), pp. 191–215 (en dash)

• DOIs: Available at: https://doi.org/... — no access date (stable identifier)

• Book: Dweck, C. S. (2006) Mindset: the new psychology of success. New York: Random House. — place: publisher retained, sentence-case title

• et al. roman throughout; all authors listed in the reference list (no et al. in list)

What changed: poor draft → strong Harvard draft

Element Poor draft Strong Harvard draft (above)

Opening "Psychology studies behavior." Two-mechanism thesis + replication fracture flagged upfront

Classic cites Bandura/Dweck/Kahneman-Tversky as gospel Bandura 1977 + Dweck 2006 + Kahneman and Tversky 1979, paired with replication status

Effect size None d = .62 (2010) → d = .04 (2016, 23 labs) → d ≈ .06 (2021, 36 labs)

Citation mechanics APA &, double quotes, et al. italic and, single quotes, et al. roman, place retained

First-citation rule et al. from first cite All authors on first citation, et al. thereafter (CTR 12th strict)

Multi-source One per sentence Alphabetical, semicolon-separated

Gap "More research needed." Ecological repeated-measure + individual-differences moderators

Reference list "References" APA style "Reference list" CTR 12th: single quotes, London: Publisher, Available at:

5 fatal signals (Harvard × Psychology)

1. Using & in citations — Harvard uses and ((Kahneman and Tversky, 1979), not &).

2. Double quotation marks on article titles — Harvard CTR uses single quotes ('Self-efficacy...').

3. Italicizing et al. — Harvard keeps it roman.

4. Dropping place of publication (New York: Random House → Random House) — Harvard retains it; APA 7 drops it.

5. Titling the list "References" (APA) or "Works Cited" (MLA) instead of "Reference list".

Rewrite Checklist (Harvard × Psychology)

1. Open with a mechanism-level thesis (self-efficacy vs. resource-depletion vs. valuation architecture), not a topic summary.

2. Cite Bandura (1977) for self-efficacy's four sources; cite Kahneman and Tversky (1979) for loss-aversion/valuation.

3. On the first citation of a 3+ author work, list every author; use FirstAuthor et al. only on subsequent citations.

4. Pair every classic effect with its replication status—ego depletion must name Hagger et al. (2010) d=.62, Hagger et al. (2016) 23 labs d=.04, and Vohs et al. (2021) 36 labs d≈.06.

5. Convert ≥40% of parentheticals to narrative; keep et al. roman; use and for two authors in-text.

6. Audit reference list: single quotes for articles, italics for journals/books, place: publisher, Available at: https://doi.org/..., no access date for DOI.

7. Alphabetize by surname; list all authors in the reference list (no et al. there).

8. Close with a gap naming construct × population × paradigm × moderator (e.g., trait self-control × ecological diary × glucose sensitivity).

9. Verify every DOI resolves before publishing.

FAQ

Why is this page in Harvard but the psychology page in APA? Because the same discipline is taught under different styles by region. US programs default to APA (/apa-psychology-literature-review-example); UK/AU/EU social-science and psychology programs often specify Harvard (Cite Them Right). The two pages deliberately cover the same literature cluster so you can see how the format layer changes while the argument layer stays.

Is et al. italicized in Harvard? No. Cite Them Right (and most Harvard variants) use roman et al. In APA it is also roman in the current edition, and MLA 9th officially roman too—italic et al. is mostly a legacy habit. When in doubt, check your department's style sheet.

Do I need an access date for DOI-backed sources in Harvard? No. Cite Them Right says: DOIs are stable identifiers, so Available at: https://doi.org/... is sufficient. Access dates are only required for URL-only sources without a DOI (e.g., a webpage or news article).

How do I cite a 24-author replication paper? On first citation, list all authors: (Vohs, Schmeichel, Lohmann, Gronau, Finley, Ainsworth et al., 2021). On subsequent citations, use (Vohs et al., 2021). In the reference list: list all authors (Harvard does not use et al. in the list). Yes, that means a 40-line entry—this is expected and correct under CTR 12th.

Can I reuse this review's citations? No. Use the structure and Harvard mechanics as a model; replace sources with your own verified search, and confirm each DOI resolves.

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