Motivation, Stress, Self-Control Ability, and Self-Control Behavior of Preschool Children in China

Abstract

A total of 216 children were videotaped during a 10-minute delay of gratification research task at a university laboratory observation room. Children were instructed to play with only a familiar building toy and to delay playing with a highly attractive novel toy. A 2 (levels of motivation) by 2 (levels of stress of self-control) factorial experimental design was employed. Children were randomly selected from the 600 children at the center and randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. Videotapes were continuously coded, and total duration of time in noncompliance was calculated. Results indicated that high motivation produced less noncompliant behavior, while high stress produced more noncompliant behavior. Girls exhibited less noncompliant behavior than did boys. Implications were discussed for factors contributing to the prosocial behavior of self-control.