Neural correlates of delay of gratification choice in young children: Near-infrared spectroscopy studies.

Delay of gratification refers to the ability to forgo a small immediate reward to obtain a larger delayed reward. Cognitive mechanisms underlying the delay of gratification in young children have been examined extensively. However, the neural mechanism of this process is largely unknown. The present study examined whether inferior prefrontal regions play an important role in the delay of gratification choice paradigm in young children. Preschool children were given a choice version of a delay of gratification task, and their neural activation during the task was assessed using near-infrared spectroscopy in cross-sectional (Study 1) and longitudinal designs (Study 2). Results revealed the activation of the right inferior prefrontal regions of children during the task in both studies. Specifically, the inferior prefrontal regions of the children were activated during immediate choices but not during delay choices. This study is the first to demonstrate the neural correlates of the delay of gratification in young children. We discuss how the right inferior prefrontal regions of preschool children are activated during the delay of gratification.