I want it all and i want it now: Delay of gratification in preschool children

ABSTRACT On the delay‐of‐gratification choice paradigm, 4‐year‐olds typically choose the larger, delayed reward, exhibiting delay of gratification, whereas 3‐year‐olds typically choose the small, immediate reward. Despite this highly replicated finding, the cognitive mechanism(s) underlying 3‐year‐olds' failure on the choice paradigm remain unclear. Recently, several researchers have proposed the involvement of the “hot” affective system and the “cool” cognitive system in pre‐schoolers' performance on the choice paradigm. Using this “hot” and “cool” systems framework, we tested 112 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds on a modified choice paradigm that was designed to help young children better utilize their “cool” system, allowing them to make more mindful and future‐oriented decisions. In the modified paradigm, 3‐year‐olds made choices consistent with those of 4‐year‐olds, exhibiting delay of gratification. These findings have important implications for previous theoretical accounts of 3‐year‐old children's failure to delay gratification. Additionally, they highlight the critical role that the method plays in young children's performance on cognitive paradigms. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc . Dev Psychobiol 56: 1541–1552, 2014.