Given assertions of the theoretical, empirical, and practical importance of self-control, this meta-analytic study sought to review evidence concerning the relationship between dispositional self-control and behavior. The authors provide a brief overview over prominent theories of self-control, identifying implicit assumptions surrounding the effects of self-control that warrant empirical testing. They report the results of a meta-analysis of 102 studies (total N = 32,648) investigating the behavioral effects of self-control using the Self-Control Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Low Self-Control Scale. A small to medium positive effect of self-control on behavior was found for the three scales. Only the Self-Control Scale allowed for a fine-grained analysis of conceptual moderators of the self-control behavior relation. Specifically, self-control (measured by the Self-Control Scale) related similarly to the performance of desired behaviors and the inhibition of undesired behaviors, but its effects varied dramatically across life domains (e.g., achievement, adjustment). In addition, the associations between self-control and behavior were significantly stronger for automatic (as compared to controlled) behavior and for imagined (as compared to actual) behavior.

/pdf/taking-stock-of-self-control-a-meta-analysis-of-how-trait-4o1a2xsgbu.pdf

Taking Stock of Self-Control A Meta-Analysis of How Trait Self-Control Relates to a Wide Range of Behaviors

A critical review of sex differences in decision-making tasks: focus on the Iowa Gambling Task.

Impaired decision-making is a core problem in several psychiatric disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mania, drug addiction, eating disorders, and substance abuse as well as in chronic pain. To ensure progress in the understanding of the neuropathophysiology of these disorders, animal models with good construct and predictive validity are indispensable. Many human studies aimed at measuring decision-making capacities use the Iowa gambling task (IGT), a task designed to model everyday life choices through a conflict between immediate gratification and long-term outcomes. Recently, new rodent models based on the same principle have been developed to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying IGT-like decision-making on behavioral, neural, and pharmacological levels. The comparative strengths, as well as the similarities and differences between these paradigms are discussed. The contribution of these models to elucidate the neurobehavioral factors that lead to poor decision-making and to the development of better treatments for psychiatric illness is considered, along with important future directions and potential limitations.

/pdf/rodent-versions-of-the-iowa-gambling-task-opportunities-and-sg2z5wglfc.pdf

Rodent versions of the iowa gambling task: opportunities and challenges for the understanding of decision-making.

https://escholarship.org/content/qt3293q98j/qt3293q98j.pdf?t=nq7ah9

Serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) influences decision making under ambiguity and risk in a large Chinese sample

The other allele: exploring the long allele of the serotonin transporter gene as a potential risk factor for psychopathy: a review of the parallels in findings.

Appropriate decision making is an important brain function to maintain our lives. The Iowa gambling task (IGT) is a tool for decision making under ambiguity. The aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) polymorphisms and their interaction on IGT performance. One hundred fifty-nine normal subjects were involved in this study. All subjects performed the IGT and were genotyped for the triallelic 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 48 bp uVNTR polymorphisms. After controlling for gender, age, and impulsiveness, there were no main effects of 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 gene polymorphisms on total IGT score. However, there was a significant effect on the interaction between 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 on total IGT score. In the presence of the 5-HTTLPR S′S′ (SS + SL G  + L G L G ), subjects with the DRD4 2R+ (2 repeat carrier) had higher total IGT score compared to those with the DRD4 2R–. In contrast, in the absence of the 5-HTTLPR S′S′, subjects with the DRD4 2R– had higher total IGT score than those with the DRD4 2R+. When we divided IGT scores into the first and second half of trials, the 5-HTTLPR × DRD4 interaction effects were stronger in the second half block (decision under risk) than in the first half block (decision under ambiguity). In conclusion, the DRD4 genotypes might influence decision-making performance differently according to the background genotypes of 5-HTTLPR.

Interaction between serotonin transporter promoter and dopamine receptor D4 polymorphisms on decision making.

http://usdbiology.com/cliff/Courses/Advanced%20Seminars%20in%20Neuroendocrinology/Anxiety%20and%20Decision%20Making/Kang%2010%20NeuroPharm%20BDNF%20%20polymphs%20emotional%20decision%20making.pdf

Yang Tae Kim

Papers

Interaction between serotonin transporter promoter and dopamine receptor D4 polymorphisms on decision making.

Influence of BDNF and COMT polymorphisms on emotional decision making