Fixed-interval performance and self-control in children

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J C Darcheville1, V Rivière, J H Wearden

  • 1Université Charles de Gaulle, Lille.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|March 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Operant conditioning principles are fundamental to understanding behavior.
  • Self-control and impulsivity in children are critical areas of developmental research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between choice behavior in a self-control paradigm and performance on fixed-interval schedules in children.
  • To explore individual differences in delay discounting and reinforcement schedules.

Main Methods:

  • 16 children (mean age 6 years) participated in operant conditioning tasks.
  • Fixed-interval schedules with varying reinforcer durations and intervals were used.
  • A self-control paradigm involved choices between immediate and delayed cartoon reinforcers of varying durations.

Main Results:

  • Individual differences in self-control choices predicted fixed-interval performance.
  • Children choosing immediate, smaller reinforcers (impulsive) showed high, stable response rates and short postreinforcement pauses.
  • Children choosing larger, delayed reinforcers (self-controlled) exhibited lower, systematically varying response rates and long postreinforcement pauses.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral patterns in self-control choices directly correlate with performance under fixed-interval schedules in children.
  • This study highlights the predictive power of self-control paradigms for understanding operant behavior in young children.

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