The relationship between Turkish preschool children’s delay of gratification and self-regulation skills

Abstract

In the early childhood period, self-regulation and delay of gratification are important skills. The lack of these skills may have a negative impact on children’s development and learning. In this study, the relationship between pre-school children’s delay of gratification and self-regulation skills was examined. Fifty-seven preschool children from Ankara, the capital of Turkey, aged between four and five, participated in this study. Delay of gratification was measured with Marshmallow Test, whereas self-regulation skills were assessed with Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the variables that predict the delay of gratification. The results indicated that self-regulation, particularly in terms of impulse control and effortful control, affects the delay of gratification, and that gender is not a determining factor in the delay of gratification. Besides, children’s success, particularly in impulse control and effortful control, was found to increase the delay of gratification. Identifying children with extreme difficulty in the delay of gratification may help to detect those with poor self-regulation skills. Accordingly, various tasks could be designed to improve self-regulation skills in early childhood, and potential problems regarding delay of gratification and self-regulation could be minimized. This is likely to have a positive impact on society as a whole.