Delay Of Gratification In Children Research Articles

Episodic future thinking and delay of gratification in children: Is imagining reward pay-off helpful?

Previous studies have failed to show an effect of episodic future thinking (EFT) on children's delay of gratification (DoG), contrasting strikingly with adult findings. Recent findings from a sample of 8-11-year-old children by Canning etal. (J. Exp. Child Psychol., 228, 2023, 105618) indicate that EFT cueing is not effective compared to a no-cue control even when it is reward related. Canning etal. suggest children's DoG performance, unlike that of adults, may be negatively affected by the cognitive load of cueing, but this leaves unexplained why EFT reward-related cueing produced significantly better performance than cueing that did not involve EFT in their study. The current study attempted to further delineate the importance of linking future thinking cues to rewards. A reward-related EFT condition was compared to a reward-unrelated EFT condition and a no-cue control on a delay choice task. No significant differences were observed between the three conditions. This suggests that even reward-related future thinking is ineffective at improving children's delayed gratification. Further research is needed to determine why children struggle to benefit from EFT cues.

Reward-related episodic future thinking and delayed gratification in children

Cuing adults to imagine their personal futures enhances prudent choice in delay discounting tasks. However, it has not been established that such cueing also reduces discounting in children. We assessed the effect of episodic future thinking (EFT) on delay of gratification in children using EFT cues specifically related to the rewards on offer. One hundred and thirty-nine 8–12-year-olds were assigned to one of three conditions: (i) EFT (imagine spending money in the future), (ii) Imagine Place (imagine being in a certain place), or (iii) No Cue. They were cued on each trial of two tasks: a delay discounting task with hypothetical monetary rewards and a real delay choice task involving choices between real rewards over real delays (coins that could be swapped for treats). In the delay discounting task, the Imagine Place group showed significantly higher discounting than the other two groups. In the real delay choice task, the Imagine Place group made significantly fewer delayed choices than the EFT group. However, the EFT group did not differ from the No Cue group in either task. The lack of a difference between the EFT and No Cue conditions supports previous findings suggesting children struggle to benefit from EFT cues. Poorer performance of the Imagine Place group suggests that cued imagination is cognitively taxing for children, using up cognitive resources required to delay gratification.

Your pride is my goal: How the exposure to others’ positive emotional experience influences preschoolers’ delay of gratification

This research examined whether priming very young children with a specific positive emotion would enhance their pursuit of the goal associated with that emotion. Specifically, we focused on the influence of two distinct positive emotions—pride and joy, each of which is associated with a distinct type of goal (long-term and short-term goals, respectively)—on child delay of gratification (DoG). DoG is a specific form of self-regulation that requires forgoing an immediately desired goal for the sake of a larger delayed goal. We examined whether this influence exists among preschool-aged children, an age at which emotion-related and self-regulation abilities are still developing. Across two experiments, preschoolers heard a story about another child’s emotional experience of either pride or joy and then completed a DoG task. Experiment 2 was a replication of Experiment 1 using a different set of emotional scenarios. As predicted, pride-primed children showed a greater preference for larger delayed rewards over smaller immediate rewards, demonstrating enhanced DoG abilities compared with joy-primed children. These findings imply that the motivational components underlying discrete positive emotions (as well as the associations between emotions and goal pursuits) are integral to children’s emotional processes. Furthermore, our findings suggest that these emotional processes influence behavior even among very young children who have not yet fully developed the relevant abilities.

What helps children resist distracting marketing stimuli? Implementation intentions and restrictions alter food choice

This study analyzes the impact of implementation intentions as well as restrictions on the delay of gratification in children. We assume that both strategies impact the decision process of children in different ways: While implementation intentions activate the mental representation of specified cues that help pursuing a goal, restrictions support goal attainment because of the threatened consequence. The results of two studies support these assumptions. A correlation between the physiological arousal and the success in the delay task indicates that for children that follow implementation intentions arousal provides motivation to wait for a greater gratification. These results provide possible explanations for the heterogeneous outcomes of existing studies about the effects of parenting practices.

Does child verbal ability mediate the relationship between maternal sensitivity and later self-regulation? A longitudinal study from infancy to4years.

There is a need to further examine the mechanisms by which maternal sensitivity influences the development of child self-regulation. This study investigated the role of maternal sensitivity when infants were 10months old and child verbal ability at 18months, in relation to various aspects of self-regulation at 48months, in a sample of 95 typically developing children (46.3% girls). In particular, the study examined, from a Vygotskian perspective, whether child verbal ability, as measured by receptive and expressive language, mediated the relationship between maternal sensitivity and hot and cool aspects of self-regulation in the child. As hypothesized, maternal sensitivity predicted child verbal ability, as well as working memory, set shifting, and delay of gratification. Child receptive language predicted set shifting, inhibition, and delay of gratification. In addition, receptive language mediated the relationship between maternal sensitivity and inhibition only. Additive effects of maternal sensitivity and child receptive language in relation to set shifting were found, and a main effect of maternal sensitivity on child delay of gratification. The results add to the body of research suggesting that responsive parenting and child verbal ability are important for the development of self-regulation, and suggest that different mechanisms may be at work for different aspects of self-regulation.

유아의 공감능력과 리더십의 관계에서 유아의 만족지연능력과 어머니 성취동기의 조절효과

유아의 공감능력과 리더십의 관계에서 유아의 만족지연능력과 어머니 성취동기의 조절효과

Duration Discrimination Predicts Delay of Gratification In Children with and without ADHD

The ability to delay gratification, to wait for a larger but delayed reward in the presence of a smaller but constantly available reward, has been shown to be predictive for various aspects of everyday life. For instance, preschool children who were better able to delay gratification achieved better school grades, a higher education, a better ability to cope with stress, as well as a reduced risk for being overweight or consume drugs up to 30 years later (Mischel et al., 2011). However, despite the importance of delay of gratification cognitive factors underlying individual differences are only poorly understood. Wittmann and Paulus (2008) suggested that individuals who overestimate the duration of time intervals experience waiting times as more costly and are, therefore, less likely to delay gratification. Furthermore, a recent study revealed an association between less accurate internal clock speed and a behavioral choice delay task (Corvi, Juergensen, Weaver, & Demaree, 2012). Further evidence for an association between temporal processing and delay of gratification can be derived from studies using clinical samples. For instance, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) consistently prefer smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards and show impaired temporal processing (Sonuga-Barke, Bitsakou, & Thompson, 2010). However, no study has directly tested an association between a measure of temporal processing and a classical delay of gratification task in children with and without ADHD so far.As part of a larger study, 64 children (29 with ADHD) aged between 8 to 12 years performed a version of an auditory duration discrimination task and a delay of gratification task. In the duration discrimination task, the children were presented with two unfilled intervals indicated by two brief tones each. The baseline interval lasted for 400ms, while the comparison interval was always longer and adjusted up or down in 10ms steps securing an accuracy of 80%. In the delay of gratification task, the children were instructed that they could either opt for one chocolate bar immediately or that they could wait to receive two chocolate bars. Unbeknownst to the children, the waiting time lasted 25minutes but children were told that they could decide for the immediate chocolate bar at any time by ringing a bell.Children with ADHD did not differ in their performance from children without ADHD in the duration discrimination task or the delay of gratification task. However, in the whole sample of children with and without ADHD, children who waited for the additional chocolate bar showed a better duration discrimination than children who failed to wait for the additional chocolate bar [t(62) = -2.52, p = .01].We demonstrated an association between temporal processing ability and the ability to delay gratification. These results need to be replicated in further studies with larger sample sizes. Moreover, different tasks measuring temporal processing and delay of gratification should be used to further clarify the relationship of temporal processing, delay of gratification, and ADHD.

Associations among Maternal Behavior, Delay of Gratification, and School Readiness across the Early Childhood Years

AbstractThis study examined the developmental pathways from maternal behavior to school readiness within a sample of 1007 children, with a specific focus on the mediating role of delay of gratification (DoG). Maternal behavior across the first 36 months of age was explored as a predictor of children's DoG at 54 months as well as their behavioral and academic competence in kindergarten. Results support sensitivity as a predictor of children's DoG and indicate significant associations between DoG and teacher‐reported externalizing behavior, social skills, and academic skills. Moreover, DoG partially mediated the associations between maternal sensitivity and school readiness skills, with the highest percentage of mediation reported for social skills. Findings indicate maternal sensitivity and DoG as potential targets for efforts aimed at enhancing school readiness among young children.

Self-Regulation in Children with ADHD: How If—Then Plans Improve Executive Functions and Delay of Gratification in Children with ADHD

Free AccessSelf-Regulation in Children with ADHD: How If—Then Plans Improve Executive Functions and Delay of Gratification in Children with ADHDCaterina GawrilowCaterina GawrilowAssistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Frankfurt, Germany. She is also affiliated with the Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Center for Research on Education and Human Development, Germany. She can be reached by email at: [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:December 2011https://doi.org/10.1521/adhd.2011.19.6.4PDFPDF PLUS ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations About Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 19Issue 6Dec 2011 Information© 2011 The Guilford PressPDF download

Self-Control and Impulsivity in Children: Multiple Behavioral Measures

The present experiment investigated the relationship between laboratory measures of self-control and delay of gratification in children and explored several other factors that may influence self-control. In the self-control paradigm, 30 four-year-old children repeatedly chose between three reinforcers received after a delay and one reinforcer received immediately. A self-imposed delay modification allowed participants to reverse their choices to the smaller, less delayed reinforcer during the delay to the larger reinforcer. In the delay-of-gratification paradigm, the children received three reinforcers if they waited 20 min until the experimenter returned or one reinforcer if they terminated the trial by ringing a bell. A strong positive correlation between the proportion of self-control choices in the self-control paradigm and the wait times in the delay-of-gratification paradigm was found, suggesting concurrent validity between the two measures. In addition, the exposure to visual food cues had no consistent effect across participants on choice in either measure.

Persons in context: building a science of the individual

Part 1. Introduction. D. Cervone, Y. Shoda, G. Downey, Construing Persons in Context: On Building a Science of the Individual. Part 2. Conceptualizing the Person. G.H. Bower , The Trait versus Situation Debate: A Minimalist View. J. Kagan, The Power of Context. R.E. Nisbett, Eastern and Western Ways of Perceiving the World. R.A. Shweder , From Persons and Situations to Preferences and Constraints. Part 3. Self-Regulation: From Willpower to a System. O. Ayduk, Delay of Gratification in Children: Contributions to Social-Personality Psychology. E.T. Higgins, In Search of Generative Mechanisms: The Case of Value from Engagement Strength. A.M. Isen, Positive Affect, Cognitive Flexibility, and Self-Control. E.E. Smith, Expectancy and the Perception of Aversive Events. Part 4. Incorporating Situations into a Science of the Individual. S.M. Andersen, J.S. Thorpe, C.S. Kooij, Character in Context: The Relational Self and Transference. N. Bolger, R. Romero-Canyas, Integrating Personality Traits and Processes: Framework, Method, Analysis, Results. R. Mendoza-Denton, S.H. Park, A. O'Connor, Toward a Science of the Social Perceiver. P.S. Mischel, Toward a Science of the Individual: A Molecular View of Personalized Medicine. R.J. Sternberg, Intelligence as a Person-Situation Interaction. Part 5. Paradigm Change in Psychological Models of Human Nature (1950-2000-2050?). W. Mischel, Toward a Science of the Individual: Past, Present, Future? W. Mischel, Toward a Cognitive Social Learning Reconceptualization of Personality. Y. Shoda, From Homunculus to a System: Toward a Science of the Person.

A Mental Age-Matched Comparison Study of Delay of Gratification in Children with Down Syndrome

The performance of 25 children with Down syndrome on delay of gratification tasks was compared with that of a mental age-matched group of typically developing children. Delay tasks included both other- and self-imposed tasks. Children with Down syndrome were significantly less able to delay gratification than the comparison group on two of the three tasks. Receptive language was associated with delay on the self-imposed task for the typically developing group but not for children with Down syndrome. It is hypothesised that there may be a lag in the development of self-regulation that is greater than the lag between chronological and mental age for children with Down syndrome, with expressive language playing a role in this lag. The practice of using mental age as the method for matching groups of children with Down syndrome with typically developing children is called into question by the results of this study.

Delay of gratification in children.

To function effectively, individuals must voluntarily postpone immediate gratification and persist in goal-directed behavior for the sake of later outcomes. The present research program analyzed the nature of this type of future-oriented self-control and the psychological processes that underlie it. Enduring individual differences in self-control were found as early as the preschool years. Those 4-year-old children who delayed gratification longer in certain laboratory situations developed into more cognitively and socially competent adolescents, achieving higher scholastic performance and coping better with frustration and stress. Experiments in the same research program also identified specific cognitive and attentional processes that allow effective self-regulation early in the course of development. The experimental results, in turn, specified the particular types of preschool delay situations diagnostic for predicting aspects of cognitive and social competence later in life.

Cognitive and personality factors in the delay of gratification of hemodialysis patients.

On the basis of Mischel's (1984) social learning analysis of the process of delay of gratification in children and in line with Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory, we developed a model of delay of gratification in adults and tested it on dialysis patients who were continuously required to comply with a stringent regimen of fluid-intake to keep alive. We hypothesized that patients' self-evaluations of their past compliance and their efficacy expectations would be associated with their actual delay behavior. Underlying these process-regulating cognitions would be stable competencies, such as learned resourcefulness (i.e., one's self-control skills). Fifty-three dialysis patients self-evaluated their fluid intake compliance, their efficacy expectations, and their health beliefs. Resourcefulness was assessed by Rosenbaum's Self-Control Schedule. Actual fluid-intake compliance was reliably assessed by the mean body weight increase between dialyses during the 3-month period prior to the study and during two follow-up periods. The results supported the model. On the one hand, self-efficacy expectations were related to persistence with the fluid diet and on the other hand to subjects' self-evaluation of their past adherence behavior as well as to their resourcefulness. Although the path model suggested a causal pattern, the correlational nature of the study precluded any conclusions on cause-effect relationship.

Delay of gratification in children: A function of magnitude of reward and the delay cue

In research on delay of gratification in children, the delay cue and magnitude of reward cue have traditionally been confounded. The delay and magnitude of reward cues were independently varied in the present study to investigate whether children's delay of gratification preferences were attributable to (a) the magnitude of reward cue, and/or (b) discriminative stimulus properties of the delay cue. To assess delay of gratification preferences, 39 preschool subjects chose between various amounts of pennies on a two-choice task. The data indicated that children's choice to delay gratification was a function of both the magnitude of reward and the delay of reward cues.

Delay of Gratification in Children: Personal versus Group Choices

NISAN, MORDECAI. Delay of Gratification in Children: Personal versus Group Choices. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1976, 47, 195-200. 6to 7-year-olds were asked to choose as prizes either a single piece of candy immediately or 2 pieces of candy the next day. In 1 condition, single-sex groups of 3 children were asked first to hold a discussion and agree among themselves on a single group decision and then privately to make individual decisions. In the other, the individual decisions preceded the decision agreed upon in the group. It was found that boys, but not girls, tended to delay gratification more in groups than in personal decisions. The results are discussed in relation to various theoretical approaches, and it is suggested that the present results are better understood in terms of social conformity than in terms of psychoanalytic or cognitive-developmental approaches.

Delay of Gratification in Children: Personal versus Group Choices

Delay of Gratification in Children: Personal versus Group Choices

Delay of gratification in children: The effects of training under fixed, decreasing and increasing delay of reward

The effect of fixed, gradually decreasing, or increasing delay of reward in discimination learning on later delay of gratification was investigated. In discrimination training, employing a correction procedure, a candy reward was delivered either after 0, 10, 20, 40 or 60 sec fixed delay; or after 60 sec in the first block of trials and decreased in successive block; or reward was immediate in the first block of trials and delay was gradually increased to 60 sec. In the delay of gratification tests, subjects could press a button immediately to receive a small reward (one candy or a cheap toy) or delay pressing and receive an increasingly larger reward (more candy or a better toy). Learning was not significantly affected by either fixed or decreasing delays. Increasing delays resulted in faster learning than decreasing delays. The increasing delay group demonstrated superior delay of gratification on both tests. Fixed delay groups did not differ significantly among themselves, nor from the decreasing delay group. The effectiveness of exposure to increasing delays in facilitating delay of gratification was interpreted as due to either the acquisition of coping responses or the extinction of frustration.