Casey Flashcards
What was the aim of Casey’s study?
- Assess whether delay of gratification in childhood predicts impulse control at 40 (adult)
Identify 4 features of Casey’s sample.
- 562 participants aged 4
- From Stanford Bing Nursery School
- 59 took part in experiment 1
- 27 took part in experiment 2
What method was used?
- Quasi experiment
2. Longitudinal study
What was the IV & the DV?
IV = ability to delay gratification (high/low)
DV = performance in tasks
What tests were used in Experiment 1?
Hot & Cold version of the go/nogo task
How was the ‘cold’ version conducted in Experiment 1?
- Stimulus = gender (male/female)
- Participants told that 1 sex = go (means push button when that sex appears) & other = nogo (don’t push button)
How was the ‘hot’ version conducted in Experiment 1 & 2?
- Stimulus = happy/ fearful face
- Participants told that 1 emotion = go (means push button when that emotion appears) & other = nogo (don’t push button)
How was the task administered?
Administered on programmed laptops sent to participants home
What device was used in Experiment 2 to examine delay of gratification?
An fMRI machine
What part of your brain becomes ACTIVE if you are a low delayer
Ventral striatum
What part of your brain becomes INACTIVE if you are a low delayer
Right prefrontal cortex
What test was conducted in Experiment 2?
Hot version of the go/nogo task
What were Casey’s results?
EXPERIMENT 1
- 99.8% accurate in ‘cold’ version
- 99.5% accurate in ‘hot’ version
- Low delayers = more false alarms
EXPERIMENT 2
- 98.2% accurate in ‘go’ version
- 12.4% false alarms in ‘nogo’ version
- Low delayers = more false alarms
What were 2 of Casey’s conclusions?
- Resistance to temptation = stable characteristic over time
- Participants who at 4 had difficulty delaying gratification had more difficulty as adults in suppressing responses
