Casey Et Al Flashcards
What is the area
Biological
What is the aim of the study
To assess whether delay of gratification in childhood predicts impulse control abilities and sensitivity to alluring or social cues (happy faces) at the behavioural and neural level when ppts were in their 40s adults
What was the research method
Quasi/ natural experiment
What was the IV
Whether the ppt was a high delayed it a low delayed naturally
What was the dv
Behaviour
Performance in the impulse control task measured by reaction times and accuracy in experiment 1
Neural activity
Performance in impulse control task measures by reaction times and accuracy
And results of Fmri scans in experiment 2
Why was it a longitudinal study
Longitudinal study as some of the original ppts from the age of 4 until they were in their 40s
What was the experimental design
A repeated measures design
How many ppts as 4 year old
562 ppts
How many ppts in the end
59 ppts
What was the fMRI used to examine
FMRI was used to examine activity in the ventral striatum and inferior frontal gyrus to see if it correlated with delay of gratification
Conclusion
Resistance to temptation is a relatively stable characteristic of an individual over time
The capacity to resist temptation (cognitive control) can be strongly influenced by contextual factors
Ability to resist temptation is supported by neural networks in the brain
Low delayers have lowered activity in the Underwood frontal gyrus and increased activity in the ventral striatum