Children's ability to delay gratification: longitudinal relations to mother-child attachment. J Genet Psychol 1997 Dec;158(4):411-26
Date
01/10/1998Pubmed ID
9423273DOI
10.1080/00221329709596679Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0031296461 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 72 CitationsAbstract
Concurrent and longitudinal mother-child attachment qualities were studied in relation to children's ability to postpone gratification at age 6 years. A sample of 32 children (at ages 12 months and 18 months) and their mothers participated in the strange situation procedure. At age 6 years, they were observed in an attachment situation and administered a standard delay of gratification task. The length of time that children were able to delay gratification at age 6 was predicted both by concurrent attachment quality and by a longitudinal attachment measure. Children with secure attachment were able to wait the longest periods of time, whereas those with insecure-disorganized attachment had the most difficulties in waiting. The effects of longitudinal, but not concurrent, attachment quality on children's total waiting time remained significant when other important variables were considered, including gender and children's cognitive functioning. An interactive effect was found between attachment quality and cognitive functioning. Insecure-avoidantly attached children with high cognitive functioning did not differ in their overall waiting times from securely attached children, but insecure-avoidantly attached children with average or low cognitive functioning did have shorter waiting times. The study provides a basis for the further investigation of mother-child attachment quality as a factor that is linked to children's delay behavior.
Author List
Jacobsen T, Huss M, Fendrich M, Kruesi MJ, Ziegenhain UAuthor
Michael Fendrich PhD Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AttentionChi-Square Distribution
Child
Child Development
Child, Preschool
Family Health
Female
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Infant
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mother-Child Relations
Object Attachment
Psychology, Child
Regression Analysis
Reward
Sex Factors
Survival Analysis
