ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with two aspects of impulse control in children between 5 and 8 years: reflection-impulsivity as assessed by the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFT), and delay of gratification as assessed by the choice dilemma test. Several studies have specifically reported the relationship between delay of gratification choice behaviour and MFFT data. L. Mann compared impulsive and reflective 6- and 8-year-olds on a series of decision-making tasks including two delays of gratification dilemmas. The chapter draws attention to the fact that delay of gratification choice tests can take different forms which may considerably influence the nature of the results they elicit. The results help to specify conditions under which children's cognitive impulsivity predicts their delay disposition. One interesting aspect of the existing research into children's delay choice is the considerable diversity of assessment procedures employed. The chapter argues that a significant relationship may emerge if the delay test specifically involved a salient immediate reward within the child's perceptual field.
