HSD: Collaborative Research: Self-Control in the Life Course

HSD：合作研究：生命历程中的自我控制

• 批准号: 0624305
• 负责人: Yuichi Shoda
• 金额: $ 44.62万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-15 至 2012-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0624305&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: HSD; Collaborative; Research; Self; Control

Every day, people encounter temptations that they need to overcome in order to obtain desirable future outcomes. School children face them when they decide to do their homework instead of watching TV, and adults face them when they decide to save for their retirement rather than enjoy an extensive vacation. What makes it possible to resist temptation some times, but not others? Is it basic brain function and anatomy, some of which may be based on genetic variations? The goal of this research is to understand the cognitive and neural bases of self-control, in particular the ability to override impulsive responding and to delay immediate gratification in the service a delayed, but more desirable, future consequence. The investigators will examine this process in detail at three levels. First, at the level of mental processes, the researchers will examine the extent to which self-control has to do with people's ability (1) to block the entry of unwanted information (e.g., by paying attention to something else), or (2) to suppress unwanted thoughts (e.g., by thinking about something else), or (3) to stop themselves from acting (e.g., by keeping one's hand from moving). Second, self-control processes will be analyzed at the level of brain functioning and anatomy. Past research has identified areas of the brain that become particularly activated when people engage in these processes, as well as connections between areas of the brain that seem to play a key role. These functional and anatomical features will be related to effective self-control strategies, such as shutting out information, suppressing thoughts, and inhibiting behavior. Finally, self-control processes will be examined at the level of genetics. Recent research has found that variations in some genes may be related to people's ability to self-control. Modern technology has made it possible to examine which variation of these genes people have using a simple, non-invasive and cost-effective method, when the target DNA sequences are known. Using such methods, the researchers will determine if these known gene variations are also related to the three mental processes, as well as the brain functioning and anatomy associated with them. The participants will come from a longitudinal study, which began with a sample of 306 participants when they were enrolled in preschool in the early 1970s. The ability to pursue long-term goals in the face of immediate temptation was assessed once every decade since the original testing. Participants have now reached their late 30s and early 40s, and information about their life-outcomes, such as their occupational, marital, and physical health, and mental health status are becoming available. In the proposed project, we will study two groups of people in this longitudinal study. Individuals in one group have displayed high levels of self-control consistently over four decades, and those in the other group have consistently displayed self-control abilities well below the average of the cohort. By comparing these groups, we hope to learn the extent to which basic mental processes, brain functions and anatomy, and genetic variations are related to self-control. What we learn from this study may lead to a more precise understanding of the mechanisms that enable self-control, and may provide a foundation for future intervention to facilitate people's efforts to exert self-control.

每天，人们都会遇到需要克服的诱惑，以获得理想的未来结果。小学生决定做作业而不是看电视时，他们会面对他们，而成年人决定节省退休而不是享受度假时，他们会面对他们。 是什么使某些情况下有可能抵抗诱惑，而不是其他诱惑？ 它是基本的大脑功能和解剖结构，其中一些可能是基于遗传变异的？这项研究的目的是了解自我控制的认知和神经基础，特别是能够超越冲动性响应并延迟对服务的立即满足的能力，这是一个延迟但更可取的，未来的后果。 调查人员将在三个层面上详细研究此过程。 首先，在心理过程的层面上，研究人员将研究自我控制与人们的能力（1）有关的程度（例如，通过注意其他事物来阻止不需要的信息（例如，通过注意其他事物），或（2）抑制不必要的思想（例如，通过对其他事物进行思考或（3）来阻止自己，或者（3），或者（3），或者（3），或者（3），或者（3），不得不采取行动（例如，不愿意通过一只手而努力进行操作）。其次，将在大脑功能和解剖学水平上分析自我控制过程。 过去的研究已经确定了大脑的领域，这些区域在人们参与这些过程以及大脑区域之间似乎起着关键作用的连接而被特别激活。这些功能和解剖学特征将与有效的自我控制策略有关，例如关闭信息，抑制思想和抑制行为。最后，将在遗传学水平上检查自我控制过程。最近的研究发现，某些基因的变化可能与人们的自我控制能力有关。现代技术使人们可以研究这些基因的哪些变异，当已知目标DNA序列时，人们使用一种简单，无创和成本效益的方法。使用这种方法，研究人员将确定这些已知基因变异是否也与三个心理过程以及与之相关的大脑功能和解剖结构有关。参与者将来自一项纵向研究，该研究从1970年代初期就读于学龄前的306名参与者开始。自从原始测试以来，每十年评估面对直接诱惑的长期目标的能力。参与者现在已经达到了30年代末和40年代初，有关其生活在内的信息，例如职业，婚姻和身体健康以及心理健康状况正在逐渐使用。在拟议的项目中，我们将在这项纵向研究中研究两组人。一组中的个人在四十年中一直表现出高水平的自我控制，而另一组中的个人始终显示出自我控制能力远低于同伴的平均水平。 通过比较这些群体，我们希望了解基本的心理过程，大脑功能和解剖结构以及遗传变异与自我控制有关的程度。我们从这项研究中学到的知识可能会导致对能够自我控制的机制有更精确的理解，并可能为将来的干预提供基础，以促进人们施加自我控制的努力。