The Relation of Maternal Child-Rearing Attitudes to Delay of Gratification Among Boys.

Examined whether ongoing sources of environmental influence such as parenting might be related to a preference for delayed reward in 64 male child (aged 5–8 yrs)/mother (25–54 yrs) dyads. Child data was collected through survey and observations of a delay task. Maternal data was collected over the telephone or from a demographic questionnaire and a modified Child-Rearing Practices Report. Results indicate that mothers who rated themselves as more restrictive and nurturant (i.e., Authoritative style) tended to have children who delayed longer than others who characterized themselves as similarly restrictive but relatively less nurturant. Though non-European American participants were over represented in the Authoritarian classification (12 of 18 mothers were non-European American), reanalyses of the data within racial classification resulted in a similar pattern of results.