Self-control Training for Young Children

Abstract

Childrens self-control is closely related to future success. We experimentally test whether self-control can be trained by reminders from parents. We find that participating children are very patient, and that the differences between short-run and long-run choices are insignificant. Surprisingly, according to our experiments, we also find that parental education makes children seem less patient. High baseline level of patience and adverse psychology could be two potential explanations for the negative effect of reminders from parents.