To test whether delay of gratification in childhood predicts impulse self-control abilities in adulthood
1 of 14
The research method
Natural/quasi experiment
2 of 14
What design?
Independent and repeated measures design
3 of 14
How many 4 year old participants?
562
4 of 14
How many 20 year old participants?
155
5 of 14
how many 30 year olds?
135
6 of 14
how many in experiment 1?
59
7 of 14
How many in experiment 2?
27
8 of 14
What was experiment 1?
A behavioural task that tested to see if they showed less impulse control in suppressing responses to hot cues
9 of 14
What was experiment 2?
fMRI was used to examine the neural correlates in a task responding to happy or sad faces
10 of 14
What were the results?
Participants who were low delayers as children struggle to avoid temptations when they were older compared to high delayers
11 of 14
What was the key region of brain involved in withholding responses?
Inferior frontal gyrus
12 of 14
During the most temptation which part of the brain was more active in low delayers?
The ventral striatum
13 of 14
What was the conclusion?
The ability to withstand temptaion varies in individuals. It is associated with varying levels of activity in the inferior frontal girus and the ventral striatum
Comments
No comments have yet been made