Goal-directed actions are sensitive to the causal association between actions and outcomes, as well as the value of those outcomes. Such sensitivity diminishes when actions become habitual. Based on recent findings in animals, we tested if delaying outcomes relative to actions would weaken sensitivity to outcome revaluation and reduce action…

The purpose of the present investigation is to analyze the relation of frustration tolerance and delay of gratification with PhD-intention and expectations. We conducted one correlational and two experimental studies. In Study 1 (N[subscript 1] = 171 undergraduates), we found the hypothesized positive association between delay of gratification and…

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.) suggests that acquisition and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is dynamic and that learning multiple modalities may be beneficial particularly for those individuals with severe disabilities. Evaluation of response variability after training multiple modalities has yet…

The tendency to devaluate delayed rewards, a phenomenon referred to as 'discounting behaviour', has been studied by wide-ranging research examining individuals choosing between sooner but smaller or later but larger rewards. Despite the fact that many real-life choices are embedded in a social context, the question of whether or not social…

Background: Self-regulation has frequently been shown to be context-sensitive, suggesting the influence of different cultural contexts on its development. However, up until now, self-regulation has been mainly studied in Western countries with similar cultural contexts. Objective: Thus, with the present study we compared self-regulation of…

What affects moment-to-moment motivation to read? Existing reading motivation questionnaires are trait-based and not well suited to capturing the dynamic, situational influences of text or social context. Drawing on the decision science literature, we have created a paradigm to measure situational enjoyment during reading. Using this paradigm, we…

Adolescent risky behaviors are often interpreted as products of self-control failures stemming from a developmental mismatch between reward processing and cognitive control systems. However, adolescents -- much like adults -- may also engage in risky behaviors because of conscious and deliberate (even if objectively poor) decisions. It is not easy…

In the early childhood period, self-regulation and delay of gratification are important skills. The lack of these skills may have a negative impact on children's development and learning. In this study, the relationship between pre-school children's delay of gratification and self-regulation skills was examined. Fifty-seven preschool children from…

The current study investigated perfectionism and procrastination from the trait and cognitive perspectives and addressed how they relate to components of a personal orientation toward failure. A sample of 327 undergraduate students completed three perfectionism measures (i.e., Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Hewitt-Flett…

Research suggests that improving executive function (EF) skills using mindfulness-based interventions is promising, though few studies investigate mindfulness-based interventions for young children. The current study evaluated preliminary data examining EF over the course of a 12-week mindfulness-based curriculum implemented within preschool…

Low inhibitory control (IC) is sometimes associated with enhanced problem-solving amongst adults, yet for young children high IC is primarily framed as inherently better than low IC. Here, we explore associations between IC and performance on a novel problem-solving task, amongst 102 English 2- and 3-year-olds (Study 1) and 84 Swedish children,…

The use of Instagram is becoming increasingly popular among students. Excessive Instagram use (EIU) has become a growing problem that can impact students' lives psychosocially. This study applied uses and gratifications theory (UGT) to explore the impact of social gratification, content gratification, and entertainment along with social presence,…

Delay of gratification tasks have an impressive predictive value for various outcomes and are designed to measure self-regulation. Since many behavioural and psychological conditions in children are related to limitations in self-regulation, the extent to which delay tasks can be used as a screening for the detection of psychopathology is…

Delay discounting tasks measure the relation between reinforcer delay and efficacy. The present study established the association between delay discounting and classroom behavior and introduced a brief measure quantifying sensitivity to reward delays for school-aged children. Study 1 reanalyzed data collected by Reed and Martens (J Appl Behav Anal…

Gaming the system, characterized by attempting to progress through a learning activity without engaging in essential learning behaviors, remains a persistent problem in computer-based learning platforms. This paper examines a simple intervention to mitigate the harmful effects of gaming the system by evaluating the impact of immediate feedback on…