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Behavioral and neural correlates of increased self-control in the absence of increased willpower.

ABSTRACT: People often exert willpower to choose a more valuable delayed reward over a less valuable immediate reward, but using willpower is taxing and frequently fails. In this research, we demonstrate the ability to enhance self-control (i.e., forgoing smaller immediate rewards in favor of larger delayed rewards) without exerting additional willpower. Using behavioral and neuroimaging data, we show that a reframing of rewards (i) reduced the subjective value of smaller immediate rewards relative to larger delayed rewards, (ii) increased the likelihood of choosing the larger delayed rewards when choosing between two real monetary rewards, (iii) reduced the brain reward responses to immediate rewards in the dorsal and ventral striatum, and (iv) reduced brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (a correlate of willpower) when participants chose the same larger later rewards across the two choice frames. We conclude that reframing can promote self-control while avoiding the need for additional willpower expenditure.

SUBMITTER: Magen E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4103380 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Behavioral and neural correlates of increased self-control in the absence of increased willpower.

Magen Eran E Kim Bokyung B Dweck Carol S CS Gross James J JJ McClure Samuel M SM

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20140623 27

People often exert willpower to choose a more valuable delayed reward over a less valuable immediate reward, but using willpower is taxing and frequently fails. In this research, we demonstrate the ability to enhance self-control (i.e., forgoing smaller immediate rewards in favor of larger delayed rewards) without exerting additional willpower. Using behavioral and neuroimaging data, we show that a reframing of rewards (i) reduced the subjective value of smaller immediate rewards relative to lar ...[more]

PMID: 24958892

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Project description:BackgroundIrritability, a relatively lowered threshold for anger, is prevalent in typically and atypically developing youths. Inhibitory control, the ability to suppress behaviors counter to goals, is essential for regulating emotions, including anger. Understanding how irritability relates to behavioral and neural markers of inhibitory control may inform interventions.MethodsYouths (N=52; mean age=13.78) completed a Flanker task on an iPad to measure behavioral correlates of inhibitory control; a subsample (n=19; mean age=13.21) additionally completed a similar task while undergoing fMRI acquisition to evaluate inhibitory control on a neural level. Irritability was measured using the Affective Reactivity Index. Associations between irritability and inhibitory control were evaluated behaviorally (via Pearson correlations), and neurally (via ANCOVAs with whole-brain activation and amygdala connectivity).ResultsfMRI results indicated that higher levels of irritability were associated with aberrant activation (in middle frontal gyrus, amygdala/parahippocampal gyrus, anterior cingulate, lentiform nucleus/striatum) and left amygdala connectivity (with middle temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate, fusiform gyrus, and thalamus). Behavioral results were mixed.LimitationsLongitudinal studies are needed to characterize changes in neural circuitry and delineate whether the brain profiles precede or are a consequence of symptoms. Larger samples powered to examine multiple irritability-related symptom dimensions will be necessary to elucidate shared vs. disorder-specific irritability mechanisms.ConclusionsFindings suggest that pediatric irritability may be related to neural processes involving inhibitory control. Further, findings underscore the importance of neuroimaging in investigating symptom dimensions such as irritability, as neuroimaging may be more sensitive in detecting underlying abnormalities compared to behavioral data alone.

Dataset Information

Behavioral and neural correlates of increased self-control in the absence of increased willpower.

Publications

Behavioral and neural correlates of increased self-control in the absence of increased willpower.

Similar Datasets

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