Options
Wait for it : delay-discounting and academic performance among an Irish adolescent sample
Author(s)
Date Issued
2010-06
Date Available
2010-09-29T14:23:45Z
Abstract
Beyond cognitive ability and family background, are there other significant determinants of educational attainment? From research in psychology, economics, education and criminology, one powerful influence is the ability to delay gratification, operationalised in this paper as ‘delay-discounting’. It is intuitively plausible that the ability to subordinate short-term appetites in order to obtain long-term goals could have positive consequences for academic achievement. A representative sample of 1,131 students preparing for a state examination were offered a series of hypothetical options in which prize winnings, and the interval before the winnings could be collected, were varied. Greater willingness to wait was rewarded with increments in winnings. Participants were also given a short test of cognitive ability, asked about their academic achievement, and family and community status. A multivariate analysis indicated that, while controlling for cognitive ability and economic deprivation, delay-discounting made a significant prediction of attainment. Policy implications for children’s learning are discussed.
Sponsorship
Not applicable
Other Sponsorship
Combat Poverty Agency
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal
Learning and Individual Differences
Volume
20
Issue
3
Start Page
231
End Page
236
Copyright (Published Version)
2009 Elsevier
Subject – LCSH
Adolescent psychology--Ireland
Educational attainment--Ireland
Cognition
Web versions
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1041-6080
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
Owning collection
Scopus© citations
12
Acquisition Date
Mar 28, 2024
Mar 28, 2024
Views
2238
Last Month
2
2
Acquisition Date
Mar 28, 2024
Mar 28, 2024
Downloads
783
Last Week
1
1
Last Month
8
8
Acquisition Date
Mar 28, 2024
Mar 28, 2024