Reward-related episodic future thinking and delayed gratification in children

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Adults show enhanced prudent choice with future-thinking cues in delay discounting tasks.
• The efficacy of episodic future thinking (EFT) cues in improving delay of gratification in children remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of EFT cues on delay of gratification in children aged 8-12.
• To compare the effects of EFT cues versus imagining a place on children's decision-making in delay discounting and real delay choice tasks.

Main Methods:

• 139 children (8-12 years) were assigned to either an EFT cue, Imagine Place cue, or No Cue condition.
• Participants completed a delay discounting task with hypothetical rewards and a real delay choice task with tangible rewards.
• Cues were presented on each trial of both tasks.

Main Results:

• The Imagine Place group exhibited significantly higher discounting in the hypothetical task compared to EFT and No Cue groups.
• In the real delay choice task, the Imagine Place group made fewer delayed choices than the EFT group.
• No significant difference was found between the EFT and No Cue groups in either task, indicating children did not benefit from EFT cues.

Conclusions:

• Children struggle to benefit from episodic future thinking cues for improving delay of gratification.
• Cued imagination, particularly imagining a place, may impose a cognitive load that hinders self-control in children.
• Future research should explore alternative methods to enhance future-oriented decision-making in pediatric populations.