关键词: 儿童, 自我延迟满足, 学校社会交往能力, 预期

Abstract: Introduction Self-imposed delay of gratification refers to a type of choice orientation to forego immediate gratification for the sake of more valuable delayed outcomes, and to the ability of self-control shown during the waiting process. Previous follow-up studies on the long-term effects of self-imposed delay of gratification indicate that children who have longer delay at age of 4 or 5 years are more academically and socially competent and can cope with frustration and stress better than those who have shorter delay 10 or 20 years later. All these studies focused on the influences of early self-imposed delay of gratification on social coping ability or some problem behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. However，only a few studies have examined the impact of early self-imposed delay of gratification on school adjustment or school-based social competences in primary school children. Children’s cognitive ability and autonomy develop quickly from the middle period of primary school, especially from the age of 9 years, due to school environment. Their habits of self-control begin to form during this period. Self-imposed delay of gratification is the core component of self-control personality. Children’s self-imposed delay of gratification begins to show obvious individual difference from the age of 4 years. If the personality difference in self-control development remains stable from age 4 to age 9, self-imposed delay gratification at age 4 can theoretically continuously affect children’s development. The present follow-up study was designed to investigate whether the ability of self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4 can predict the school-based social competences at age 9 in the context of Chinese culture.
Method Fifty-four children of age 4 years were examined using the self-imposed delay of gratification task developed by Mischel in 1974. Five years later, school-based social competences of these 9-year-old children were measured by combining the following methods: structure interview and assessment conducted by teachers, peer feedback, and children’s self-report on social anxiety and loneliness. School-based social competences were determined by 4 components: the ability to obey rules and fulfill tasks, ability to socially function with teachers, ability to socially function with peers and social emotional competence. These children were classified into high-, medium- and low-level group based on their self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4 and the groups were tested by F tests for variance.
Results (1) An obvious difference was observed between high- and low-level groups. Furthermore, this difference between the 2 groups remained constant at age 9. (2) The higher the self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4, the better the children could obey rules and fulfill tasks in school at age 9. (3) The lower the self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4, the less capable was the children to socially function with teachers in school at age 9. (4) The lower the self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4, the less capable was the children to socially function with peers in school at age 9. (5) Children with low level of self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4 reported more social anxiety and loneliness in school at age 9.
Conclusions The results suggest that early self-imposed delay of gratification in children can predict future school adjustment. Children with high self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4 will show good development in the 4 different school-based social competences at age 9. In contrast，these competences may be poorly developed in children with low self-imposed delay of gratification at age 4

Key words: childrenself-imposed delay of gratification, school-based social competence, predictor