Exploring the effects of imagining the future self on delay of gratification on preschoolers

Abstract

The ability to delay gratification is observed beginning in early childhood and due to the positive outcomes associated with this ability, there is growing interest in mechanisms that can be used to facilitate the development of this skill. The current study aims to investigate whether encouraging preschoolers to imagine their future selves improves delay of gratification. In the first study, 64 children, 36 three-year-olds and 28 four-yearolds (28 males and 36 females), completed a delay of gratification task. Fifty-seven children, 23 three-year-olds and 34 four-year-olds (31 males and 26 females) participated in the second study. There were four conditions across the two studies, where children were primed to imagine their present selves, their future selves, their present selves in conjunction with their future selves, and not primed to engage in imagining the self. Results indicated that preschoolers made significantly more choices to delay when they were primed to imagine their future selves. These results suggest that engaging in future-oriented thinking of the self may be employed as a strategy to help children delay gratification.