The development of prudence in the face of varying future rewards
Abstract
The choice to delay gratification, opting for a greater reward later instead of a smaller reward now, has been used as a measure of preschoolers’ ability to make future‐oriented decisions. The present studies investigated to what extent these choice tasks reflect children's ability to make choices in favour of their future self. In Experiment 1, preschoolers were presented with choices between a smaller immediate reward of one sticker and larger delayed rewards varying in amount from two to five stickers. Whereas 3‐year‐olds showed no increased tendency to choose the delayed option as quantity increased from two to five, 4‐year‐olds’ future‐oriented choices reflected the value of the delayed reward. In Experiment 2, preschoolers chose between immediate and delayed rewards that were equal in amount and varied between one and four stickers. Three‐year‐olds reliably chose the immediate reward and showed no differentiation among rewards, whereas 4‐year‐olds chose in a manner that suggested they were trying to satisfy both immediate and future desires. Together these results support the notion that future‐oriented prudence reflects growth in concern for the future self.
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When choosing between immediate and delayed gratification, 3-year-olds are unlikely to wait even when the delayed reward is significantly more appealing than the immediate reward.
“When there is a choice between an immediate or delayed gratification, 3-year-olds are unlikely to wait even when the delayed reward is significantly more appealing than the immediate reward (Lemmon & Moore, 2007).”
From Assessing Executive Function in Preschoolers (2012) · cites this paper as Lemmon & Moore, 2007
In contrast, 4-year-olds are able to resist immediate gratification for a greater reward.
“In contrast, 4-year-olds are able to resist immediate gratification for a greater reward.”
From Assessing Executive Function in Preschoolers (2012) · cites this paper as Lemmon & Moore, 2007
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- Authors
- Lemmon, K., & Moore, C.
- Affiliations
- Dalhousie University (CA)
- ORCID
- Moore, Chris
- Venue
- Developmental Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-06-05
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 502-511
- ISSN
- 1363-755X (ISSN-L)
- 1467-7687
- OpenAlex
- W2023643874
- Cited by
- 83
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Developmental Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Society for Research in Child Development
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research
- Keywords
- delay of gratification, prudence, future self, preschool children, delayed rewards, immediate versus delayed rewards, future-oriented decision-making, reward magnitude
- MeSH terms
- Child Development, Child, Preschool, Choice Behavior, Cognition, Female, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Reward
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