自我控制失败的理论模型与神经基础

自我控制指那些帮助人们克服思想和情绪, 进而依据实际情况调整自我行为的心理加工。虽然良好的自我控制对个体的成功与幸福非常重要, 但自我控制失败仍然是整个人类社会的核心问题。借助于序列任务范式, 研究者揭示了自我控制失败的认知机制并建构了多种理论, 包括能量模型、加工模型、中央管理器模型和前额叶−皮层下脑区的平衡模型。相关脑成像研究主要聚焦于额下回、杏仁核、眶额叶皮质等脑区。未来研究应侧重不同理论之间的融合与补充, 强化自我控制失败潜在神经机制的探索, 并推动自我控制与社会决策行为的关系研究。

The theoretical framework and neural mechanisms of self-control failure

Self-control refers to the mental processes that ensure people to overcome thoughts and emotions, thus enabling behavior to vary adaptively from one situation to another. While self-control plays an important role on individual’s well-being, the failure of self-control is one of the key problems of human society. Based on the sequential-task paradigm, researchers have explored the cognitive mechanisms of self-control failure and have proposed multiple theories such as the strength model, the process model, the central governor model and the prefrontal-subcortical balance model of self-regulation. In the field of neuroimaging studies, the researchers have identified the involvement of several brain regions, including inferior frontal gyrus, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. In the future, the researchers should emphasize the integration of different theories, strengthen the neural mechanisms associated with self-control failure, and explore the relationship between self-control failure and social behaviors.