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Uniquely human self-control begins at school age.

Esther Herrmann1, Antonia Misch1, Victoria Hernandez-Lloreda2

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.

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Human self-control skills evolved from our great ape heritage, with fundamental abilities shared by 3-year-olds and chimpanzees. Unique human self-control emerges around age 6, coinciding with formal schooling.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Human self-control is a complex cognitive function crucial for decision-making.
  • The evolutionary origins of human self-control remain largely unexplored.
  • Understanding self-control's development offers insights into human uniqueness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary roots of human self-control.
  • To compare self-control abilities across human children and chimpanzees.
  • To identify developmental milestones in self-control.

Main Methods:

  • A battery of reactivity and self-control tasks were administered.
  • Participants included 3-year-old children, 6-year-old children, and chimpanzees.
  • Performance was assessed on impulse control, task persistence, and attention.

Main Results:

  • Three-year-old children and chimpanzees exhibited similar self-control capacities.
  • Both groups struggled with immediate gratification, task repetition, and failure.
  • Six-year-old children demonstrated significantly enhanced impulse control compared to 3-year-olds and chimpanzees.

Conclusions:

  • Fundamental self-control skills are part of our shared great ape evolutionary heritage.
  • Species-unique advancements in self-control emerge in human development around age 6.
  • These findings illuminate the evolutionary trajectory and developmental emergence of human decision-making processes.