Delayed Gratification Predicts Behavioral and Academic Outcomes: Examining the Validity of the Delay-of-Gratification Choice Paradigm in Singaporean Young Children

Peer-reviewed publication can be found here: Chen, L., & Yeung, W. J. J. (2024). Delayed gratification predicts behavioral and academic outcomes: Examining the validity of the delay-of-gratification choice paradigm in Singaporean young children. Applied Developmental Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2024.2307366. This study examined the reliability and validity of the Delay-of-Gratification (DoG) choice paradigm in Singapore, a multicultural Asian society. Data were collected over two waves from a nationally representative sample of 2,956 Singaporean young children, a subset of the participants from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study (SG-LEADS). DoG, working memory, and parent-rated child self-control were measured during the preschool years (ages 3–6) in Wave 1. Academic achievement and parent-rated child behavior problems were measured approximately two years later in Wave 2. Results evidenced sound psychometric properties of the multi-trial actual choice task as a measure of DoG with Singaporean preschoolers, indicated by (1) excellent internal reliability, (2) development of DoG as a function of age, gender, and parental education, (3) variations in children’s choices by the quantity of the delayed reward, (4) convergent validity with concurrently measured working memory and self-control, and (5) predictive validity with more advanced reading and mathematical skills as well as fewer externalizing and internalizing problems, through working memory and self-control.