Casey (Delayed Gratification/Go/No go Task)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

Investigate delayed gratification in children and see if this can predict impulse control in adulthood

Question 2

Method

Answer 2

Quasi experiment as the IV of whether the participant is a high or low delayer is naturally occurring
The DV is the reaction times and accuracy on the go/no go task and the FMRI scanner results in Exp 2
Longitudinal (more accuracy)

Question 3

Sample

Answer 3

562 four-year-olds from Stanford Bing Nursery completed the marshmallow task
155 did the self control questionnaire in their 20s
135 did another self control questionnaire in their 30s
Casey contacted 117 of these people who were consistently high or low delayers
59 agreed
27 agreed to take part in experiment 2 but one man was excluded
Attrition

Question 4

Procedure (Experiment 1)

Answer 4

Done at home on the computer
59 participants
Cool- male and female faces (go on a certain sex and no go on the other)
Hot- happy or fearful faces
Faces appeared for 500ms with a 1s inter-stimulus

Question 5

Procedure (Experiment 2)

Answer 5

Used an FMRI scanner on 26 of the participants brains
Completed the hot version of the go/no go task

Question 6

Findings (Experiment 1)

Answer 6

Go task- no effect of high or low delayers on reaction times
Both tasks had around 99% of accuracy
No go- low delayers had a higher frequency of false alarms so had more difficulty using their inferior frontal gyrus

Question 7

Findings (Experiment 2)

Answer 7

Go tasks- groups did not differ significantly
No go- low delayers made more false alarms