Successful two- and three-year-olds initiate distraction and withholding behaviours very early, within the first 10 seconds of delay on average¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Successful children initiated visual attention distraction and hands withholding rapidly, on average within the first 10 seconds of the delay. → Mulder 2019

Evidence¶

Mulder 2019¶

Mulder, H., van Ravenswaaij, H., Verhagen, J., Moerbeek, M., & Leseman, P. P. M. (2019). The process of early self-control: an observational study in two- and three-year-olds. Metacognition and Learning, 14, 239–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-019-09199-3

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Latency analysis of second-by-second coded behaviours during the snack delay task among successful children (n = 42). Visual attention distraction began at an average of 4 s and hands withholding at 7 s; hands and body distraction began later, between 12 and 18 s on average.

"The latency data show that initiation of visual attention distraction and hands withholding was rapid in successful children, at an average of 4 and 7 s, respectively, while initiation of hands and body distraction behaviours occurred somewhat later, i.e., between 12 and 18 s on average."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Older two- and three-year-olds have lower odds of failing delay-of-gratification tasks
• Teacher-rated, but not parent-rated, self-control relates to the occurrence and timing of delay behaviours in toddlers
• Probability of visual attention distraction, alone or combined with hands withholding, prevails after about 10–30 seconds of delay
• Percentage of time distracting visual attention away from the reward predicts success on delay-of-gratification tasks in two- and three-year-olds
• Actively withholding the hands from the reward predicts success on delay-of-gratification tasks in two- and three-year-olds — related
• Self-distraction and avoidance behaviours occur in nearly all successful toddlers but in a minority of unsuccessful ones — related