Self-control: teaching tolerance for delay in impulsive children.

J B Schweitzer; B Sulzer-Azaroff

doi:10.1901/jeab.1988.50-173

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PubMed · 3193054

Self-control: teaching tolerance for delay in impulsive children.

J B Schweitzer·B Sulzer-Azaroff

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Abstract

We investigated a procedure to increase the selection of larger, more delayed reinforcers (i.e., more advantageous in the long run) over smaller immediate reinforcers, in an effort to increase a key aspect of self-control in children. Six preschoolers, including one comparison subject, identified by their teachers as impulsive, were preassessed and found consistently to select smaller immediate reinforcers over larger, more delayed ones. The teaching procedure consisted of gradually increasing the durations of the delay interval over many sessions. The follow-up assessments showed that 5 of these children increased the proportion of their choices of the delayed reinforcers. Before training, indifference points ranged from 1.7 to 51.7 s; following treatment, points rose to a range of 37.5 to at least 90 s, with 3 children preferring the larger reinforcer at all delay intervals tested. The results demonstrated the feasibility of teaching young children to make choices more advantageous to them in the long run.

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Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity Behavior Therapy Child, Preschool Female Humans Impulsive Behavior Male Pattern Recognition, Visual Psychomotor Performance Reinforcement Schedule Token Economy Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

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J B Schweitzer, B Sulzer-Azaroff. 1988. Self-control: teaching tolerance for delay in impulsive children.. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1988.50-173

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