DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDRENS KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF STRATEGIES FOR SELF-CONTROL IN A RESISTANCE-TO-DISTRACTION TASK

The relationship between children's awareness and use of strategies for self-control was investigated. Four-, six-, and eight-year-olds participated in a resistance-to-distraction task and then were interviewed to determine their knowledge about factors and strategies that affect one's ability to cope with distraction. Spontaneous use of a temptation-inhibitive strategy increased between ages 4 and 6 and remained high at age 8. Four-year-olds showed mostly distracted behavior. All children had some understanding of the effects of distraction on task completion and of age. When given specific strategy choices, however, 4-year-olds were more like to choose a strategy that focused on rewards, whereas 6- and 8-year-olds were more likely to select a task-facilitative strategy. Knowledge of strategies was more highly correlated with process than with performance, and there was evidence that these relationships increased with age. Results are discussed in terms of the generalization of strategic efficiacy across tasks tapping various aspects of self-control.