Relations among Preschoolers' Temperament, Mothers' Parenting Behaviors, and Ability to Delay Gratification

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between preschoolers' temperament, mothers' parenting behaviors, and ability to delay gratification. A sample of 131 preschool children aged from 4 to 5 participated in a delay-of-gratification experiment, as reconstructed by Rodriguez and his colleagues (2005). Mothers answered questionnaires on their parenting behaviors and children's temperament. Data were analyzed by t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regressions. Children's activity as well as mothers' warmth and control predicted the ability to delay gratification; significant interaction effects were found between children's activity and maternal warmth on the ability to delay gratification. It would be plausible to intervene in children's activity level and improve the ability to delay gratification.