The Emergence and Consolidation of Self-Control from Eighteen to Thirty Months of Age: Normative Trends and Individual Differences

Abstract

This study is a descriptive report of the capability to exercise self-control in very young children. 2 aspects of self-control were assessed (delay/response inhibition in the presence of an attractive stimulus and compliance with maternal directives in a cleanup task) for 72 children between the ages of 18 and 30 months. The results indicated that both aspects of self-control show age-related increases. However, a factor analysis of the behaviors observed in the cleanup task suggested that compliance could not be adequately described with a unitary, bipolar dimension (noncompliance vs. compliance). 2 patterns of non-compliance were observed, and 1 of these also increased with age. Cross-task consistency for the delay measures) and coherence across the 2 aspects of self-control showed a positive relationship with increasing age. Finally, correlational analyses of the self-control measures and developmental test data showed that individual differences in self-control were associated with differences in cognitive-developmental status (DA). The results are interpreted as evidence that the achievement of self-control can be considered as a major developmental accomplishment and as evidence that individual differences in self-control emerge and are consolidated during the second and third years of life.

Measurement of fine-grained aspects of toddler temperament: The Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire

“…Posner and Rothbart (2000;Rothbart & Rueda, 2005) contend that rapid development of frontal neural systems, particularly the anterior cingulate, during early childhood may underlie trends toward greater control of attention and behavior. Consistent with this reasoning, the ability to exercise inhibitory control in delaying gratification increases from 18 to 30 months (Vaughn, Kopp, & Krakow, 1984), and focused attention during free play increases between 2.5 and 4.5 years (Ruff & Lawson, 1990).…”

“…The most profound changes during this period, however, were expected for scales associated with Effortful Control. Posner and Rothbart (2000;Rothbart & Rueda, 2005) contend that rapid development of frontal neural systems, particularly the anterior cingulate, during early (Vaughn, Kopp, & Krakow, 1984), and focused attention during free play increases between 2.5 and 4.5 years (Ruff & Lawson, 1990). …”

Delay of gratification in young adults with Down syndrome

“…Rodriguez, Mischel and Shoda (1989) found an association between receptive language and waiting time in a self-imposed delay task in children with no developmental delay but who had social adjustment and impulse control problems. Vaughn, Kopp and Krakow (1984) found a similar association for externally imposed waiting in young typically developing children. Both sets of authors suggested that the relationship probably refl ects underlying cognitive ability, although Vaughn et al do acknowledge that their results may be taken as support for Luria's view about the role of speech and language in self-regulation.…”

Child Disobedience and Noncompliance: A Review

“…Kuczynski et al 12 found that direct defiance decreased with age and similar findings have also been reported in other studies. 15,16 Kuczynski et al 12 also reported that more elaborate forms of disobedience (eg, negotiating with the parent to perform the desired behavior at a later time) increased with age, and that 5-year-olds who used more elaborate forms of noncompliance were more skillful in persuading their mothers, suggesting that some forms of noncompliance such as negotiation constitute positive forms of social problem-solving.…”