Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Dev Psychol. 2011 Jul;47(4):1078-89. doi: 10.1037/a0023813.
Being able to wait is an essential part of self-regulation. In the present study, the authors examined the developmental course of changes in the latency to and duration of target-waiting behaviors by following 65 boys and 55 girls from rural and semirural economically strained homes from ages 18 months to 48 months. Age-related changes in latency to and duration of children's anger expressions and attention focus (e.g., self-initiated distraction) during an 8-min wait for a gift were found. On average, at 18 and 24 months of age, children were quick to react angrily and slower to shift attention away from the desired object than they were at later ages. Over time, children were quicker to distract themselves. By 36 months, distractions occurred before children expressed anger, and anger expressions were briefer. At 48 months, children typically made a quick bid to their mothers about having to wait before distracting themselves; on average, they did not appear angry until the latter half of the wait. Unexpectedly, children bid to their mothers as much at age 48 months as they had at 18 months; however, bids became less angry as children got older. Developmental changes in distraction and bidding predicted age-related changes in the latency to anger. Findings are discussed in terms of the neurocognitive control of attention around age 30 months, the limitations of children's self-regulatory efforts at age 48 months, and the importance of fostering children's ability to forestall, as well as modulate, anger.
能够等待是自我调节的一个重要组成部分。在本研究中，作者通过对来自农村和半农村经济拮据家庭的 65 名男孩和 55 名女孩进行追踪研究，考察了目标等待行为的潜伏期和持续时间变化的发展过程。研究发现，在等待礼物的 8 分钟期间，儿童愤怒表达和注意力焦点（例如，自我发起的分心）的潜伏期和持续时间随年龄发生变化。平均而言，在 18 个月和 24 个月时，儿童反应愤怒的速度更快，而将注意力从期望的物体上转移开的速度更慢，这两个年龄比之后的年龄都要慢。随着时间的推移，儿童更容易分心。到 36 个月时，分心行为发生在儿童表达愤怒之前，而且愤怒的表达也更短。到 48 个月时，儿童通常会在分散注意力之前快速向母亲表达等待的意愿；平均而言，他们直到等待的后半段才表现出愤怒。出乎意料的是，48 个月的儿童向母亲表达意愿的次数与 18 个月时一样多；然而，随着年龄的增长，这些意愿表达的愤怒情绪越来越少。分心和表达意愿的发展变化预测了与年龄相关的愤怒潜伏期的变化。研究结果从大约 30 个月时注意力的神经认知控制、48 个月时儿童自我调节努力的局限性以及培养儿童抑制和调节愤怒的能力的重要性等方面进行了讨论。
