Delay of Gratification, Delay Discounting and their Associations with Age, Episodic Future Thinking, and Future Time Perspective.

Lars M Göllner,Nicola Ballhausen,Simon Forstmeier,Matthias Kliegel

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02304

Abstract

The delay of gratification (DoG) in children is widely investigated with an experimental procedure originally called the “marshmallow test,” whereas the studies on self-regulation (SR) in adolescents and adults usually use self-report questionnaires. Delay discounting (DD) measures simplify the DoG procedure and focus on monetary rewards. The aim of this study was to investigate age differences in DoG and DD from childhood to old age using a test that is suitable for both children and adults. Furthermore, investigations were conducted on the association between DoG/DD and two future orientation constructs [future time perspective (FTP) and episodic future thinking (EFT)] as well as age differences in these constructs. Participants from five age groups (9–14, 18–25, 35–55, 65–80, 80+) participated in the study (N = 96). While we found no age difference for DoG, DD was the lowest [i.e., self-control (SC) was the highest] in young/middle adults; however, it was the highest (i.e., SC was the lowest) in children and old/oldest adults. Furthermore, we found significant age differences for DD and FTP. As predicted, there were strong correlations between DoG and FTP and between DD and FTP, but not between DoG/DD and EFT. These results indicate that age differences in SR vary across the measures used. Individuals who generally think and act in a future-oriented manner have a stronger ability to delay gratification.

Highlights

In our everyday life, we often face situations in which it becomes essential to exercise patience for achieving a certain goal or mastering a certain challenge
We suggested that episodic future thinking (EFT) has an important influence on delay of gratification (DoG) and Delay discounting (DD) because of the lower general cognitive capacity (Salthouse, 1991) and the special problems with imagining future scenarios in old age (e.g., Rendell et al, 2012)
We found a significant direct negative effect between DoG1 and future time perspective (FTP) (b = 0.036, p = 0.016) and a non-significant indirect effect considering age as mediator, which means that the relationship between DoG1 and FTP is at least slightly influenced by age (CI [−0.0265, 0.0113])

Summary

Introduction

We often face situations in which it becomes essential to exercise patience for achieving a certain goal or mastering a certain challenge It implies that the desire for immediate pleasures must be relinquished to achieve a long-term goal or to get a specified reward in the future. A smoker might suffer momentarily from nicotine withdrawal, but will experience a healthier lung, lower risk of cardiac infarction, and other advantages in the long term. In this context, and in the social and cognitive development of every individual, the ability to self-regulate plays a major role. Research has already dealt intensively with SR in humans and its effects on daily lives. Mischel et al (1972) developed, in the context of their well-known

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Methods

Conclusion