拖延行为的发展认知机制及神经基础

Developmental cognitive mechanism and neural basis of procrastination

拖延是指尽管预见到拖延会带来不利后果,人们仍自愿推迟开始或完成某一计划好的任务。研究表明,不同文化背景下有15%~20%的成年人存在慢性拖延,超过70%的学生承认自己存在学业拖延,部分学生还会形成特质性拖延。严重的拖延不仅影响人们的学业、工作和生活,甚至还会危害到人们的身心健康。鉴于目前对于拖延产生的核心机制、形成的关键期以及发展认知神经机制还不是很清楚,本项目拟从拖延的时间决策理论出发,首先系统探明拖延决策的核心机制,尤其是远期价值评估、延迟折扣和自我控制能力等在拖延决策过程中的认知加工机制和神经基础;其次结合行为−环境变量−脑的多模态数据,从发展角度探究拖延形成的关键期(敏感期)、影响因素以及发展认知神经机制;最后从行为干预和脑的可塑性角度出发,试图制定各关键年龄阶段拖延预防与干预的临床方案。本研究的开展对于把握拖延形成的认知机制、神经基础及其发展规律具有重要的科学价值,对于拖延行为的预防和干预也具有直接的现实意义。

Procrastination,as Steel(2007)reviewed,is the phenomenon that individuals voluntarily delay to start or complete an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay.The previous studies have indicated that chronic procrastination exists in different cultural backgrounds,with about 15%~20%of adults troubled.Academically,more than 40%of students admit to academic procrastination,and some may even suffer from chronic tendencies.Obviously,putting off the task irrationally not only does harm to individuals’study,work,emotion,but also endangers mental health.However,little is known about procrastination concerning the core mechanism of origin,the critical period of its formation,and its corresponding underlying neural substrates.To fill this gap,the current study investigates the core mechanism of procrastinated decision-making,especially the cognitive and neural mechanisms of long-term value evaluation,delay discounting and self-control,which rely on the Temporal Decision Model(TDM)we outlined.In addition,on the basis of child development,we further aim to clarify the formation of the critical period and ascertain the relevant factors and corresponding neural mechanisms from a behavior-environment-brain perspective.What’s more,considering intervention for procrastination and malleability of the brain,we would also shed light on how to prevent or intervene the procrastination in these critical periods.Thus,the current project can reap enormous scientific contributions to clarify the neurocognitive mechanism and the rules of development of procrastination,and further obtain the practical significance for the prevention and intervention against procrastination.