(Press-News.org) NEW YORK (Aug. 31, 2011) -- A landmark study in the late 1960s and early 1970s used marshmallows and cookies to assess the ability of preschool children to delay gratification. If they held off on the temptation to eat a treat, they were rewarded with more treats later. Some of the children resisted, others didn't.
A newly published follow-up revisits some of the same children, now adults, revealing that these differences remain: Those better at delaying gratification as children remained so as adults; likewise, those who wanted their cookie right away as children were more likely to seek instant gratification as adults. Furthermore, brain imaging showed key differences between the two groups in two areas: the prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum. The findings are published in the Aug. 29 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This is the first time we have located the specific brain areas related to delayed gratification. This could have major implications in the treatment of obesity and addictions," says lead author Dr. B.J. Casey, director of the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Sackler Professor of Developmental Psychobiology.
In the current study, Dr. Casey and her co-investigators recruited 59 adults who participated as young children in the original study and represented either extreme of the delayed-gratification spectrum -- high delayers and low delayers. Because marshmallows and cookies can be less rewarding to adults, the researchers substituted two tests. In the first, participants looked at a screen displaying a series of faces and were asked to signal only when a face of one gender was shown. This "cool" test revealed no significant differences between the two groups. A second, "hot" test used emotional cues such as a happy or frightened face. These results were much more varied and revealed that aptitude for delayed gratification was consistent from childhood into adulthood.
"In this test, a happy face took the place of the marshmallow. The positive social cue interfered with the low delayer's ability to suppress his or her actions," explains Dr. Casey.
The second test was then repeated while the participant's brain was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results showed that the brain's prefrontal cortex was more active for high delayers and the ventral striatum -- an area linked to addictions -- was more active in low delayers.
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The original marshmallows and cookies study was led by Dr. Walter Mischel, a co-author of the current study and the Niven Professor of Humane Letters at Columbia University.
Additional authors include Leah H. Somerville, Theresa Teslovich and Nicholas Franklin of Weill Cornell Medical College; Vivian Zayas of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; Gary Glover and Ian H. Gotlib of Stanford University; Ozlem Ayduk of the University of California, Berkeley; Mary Askren, John Jonides and Marc G. Berman of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Yuichi Shoda and Nicole L. Wilson of the University of Washington, Seattle. Funding for this multi-site study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (PI: Yuichi Shoda).
The Sackler Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College
The Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College, established and endowed in 1996 by The Sackler Foundation–La Fondation Sackler and certain Mortimer D. Sackler family members and related entities, is focused on research and training using the techniques of brain imaging, human genetics, electrophysiology and behavioral methods to study typical and atypical human brain development. The Sackler Institute at Weill Cornell is one of six Sackler Institutes, programs and centers; others include Columbia University Medical Center; Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow; University of Sussex; and McGill University.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical College is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances -- including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- University of Florida researchers may help resolve the public debate over America's future light source of choice: Edison's incandescent bulb or the more energy efficient compact fluorescent lamp.
It could be neither.
Instead, America's future lighting needs may be supplied by a new breed of light emitting diode, or LED, that conjures light from the invisible world of quantum dots. According to an article in the current online issue of the journal Nature Photonics, moving a QD LED from the lab to market is a step closer to reality thanks to a ...
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis researchers have developed an accurate computer model to test the effects of medications for arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, before they are used in patients.
The new tool -- described in the Aug. 31 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine -- will help scientists screen anti-arrhythmia medications early in the drug-development pipeline and eventually guide physicians in prescribing those interventions to patients who could benefit the most.
"Drug development for arrhythmia has failed because it is difficult to anticipate ...
The Kingston, New Jersey law firm of Hanan M. Isaacs is pleased to announce that managing partner Hanan Isaacs has been named by New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in New Jersey for 2011. Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are afforded this distinction by Super Lawyers.
When asked about receiving this recognition for the second consecutive year, Attorney Isaacs said, "I am humbled to be recognized by Super Lawyers again this year. My focus is on effectively representing my New Jersey clients, so the recognition is gratifying."
SUPER ...
When it comes to defibrillators, simpler may be safer, even though more complex machines are used on a majority of patients.
That's according to a new study from a team that included University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher Paul Varosy, MD. The group reviewed more than 100,000 records of cardiac patients. They found that there was more chance of surgical problems and death with devices that require electrical leads to be attached to two chambers of the heart compared to those that work on one chamber.
Although there are potential theoretical benefits, the ...
PHILADELPHIA — In solid materials with regular atomic structures, figuring out weak points where the material will break under stress is relatively easy. But for disordered solids, like glass or sand, their disordered nature makes such predictions much more daunting tasks.
Now, a collaboration combining a theoretical model with a first-of-its kind experiment has demonstrated a novel method for identifying "soft spots" in such materials. The findings from University of Pennsylvania and Syracuse University physicists may lead to better understanding of the principles that ...
Few topics are as likely to provoke a heated response as concealed carry laws and their effect on crime. Proponents of the laws claim more guns mean less crime. In Pennsylvania, they certainly mean more guns.
Concealed Carry
Since the 1980s, the numbers of citizens licensed to carry a concealed gun has grown from less than a million to 6 million, The Daily Item reported recently. The story notes nearly 1 in 11 people in Synder County has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Pennsylvania Above Average
They point out that while 1 of 50 Americans has a license ...
LA JOLLA, CA – August 31, 2011 - Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that a particular white blood cell plays a direct role in the development and spread of cancerous tumors. Their work sheds new light on the development of the disease and points toward novel strategies for treating early-stage cancers.
The study was published in September 2011 print issue of the American Journal of Pathology.
Scripps Research Professor James Quigley, Staff Scientist Elena Deryugina, and colleagues had previously demonstrated that white blood cells known as neutrophils—bone ...
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Here's an easy way to improve your health: trust your neighbors. A new study from the University of Missouri shows that increasing trust in neighbors is associated with better self-reported health.
"I examined the idea of 'relative position,' or where one fits into the income distribution in their local community, as it applies to both trust of neighbors and self-rated health," said Eileen Bjornstrom, an assistant professor of sociology in the MU College of Arts and Science. "Because human beings engage in interpersonal comparisons in order to gauge ...
Increasing H-1B Visa Cap, Length of Stay May Improve Economy
Innovation is one of the keys to a strong economy. The way to ensure more innovation in the U.S., some argue, is to improve immigration for highly-skilled professionals.
This is the message that Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, brought to a group of Silicon Valley executives during a hearing about how to improve the way the government processes visa applications. In particular, Congressman Issa called the H-1B visa system -- the nonimmigrant ...
For motorcyclists in Minnesota, summer is the time to hit the road on a bike. This summer, however, riding is proving to be more dangerous than ever, as tragic accidents have risen alarmingly. Accidents involving motorcycles have killed at least 22 people so far this year in the state, up significantly from 2010.
More Danger Ahead?
Minnesota's Department of Public Safety is concerned that motorcycle deaths will only increase. "August and September are typically high-traffic and high-fatal months for riders," Bill Shaffer, the motorcycle program coordinator ...
