1 of 19

Delayed gratification and income

Elizabeth Oseipoku

2 of 19

3 of 19

4 of 19

What is delayed gratification?

  • Delayed gratification is the ability to postpone an immediate reward for the sake of a more distant long-term gains (Moore & Macgillivray, 2004)
  • Help you achieve your long-term goals faster
  • Delayed gratification is known to increase with age (Mischel and Metzner, 1962; Yates et al., 1981; Thompson et al., 1997; Lemmon and Moore, 2007; Atance and Jackson, 2009)

​

Introduction

5 of 19

What is the marshmallow test?

  • A type of delayed gratification test where children ability to delay gratification is measured (Mischel & Ebbesen, 1970)
  • The purpose of this study was to understand the control of delayed gratification (Mischel & Ebbesen, 1970)
  • The test results showed life long benefits

Introduction

(sciencenews.org)

(skeptical-science.com)

6 of 19

  • Children who were able to delay gratification, exhibited better behavior in school, had better social skills, dealt with fewer substance abuse issues as adults (Calarco, 2018)
  • Wealthier environment have higher delayed gratification than kids who grew up in a less wealthy environment (Sturge-Apple et al, 2015)
  • Adults who are raised in poverty focus more on the present (Solly et. al, 2018).
  • Influence their children, making them also worry about the present instead of the future (Carr et al, 2016)

​

​

​

​

​

Review of literature

7 of 19

Problem/Hypothesis/Purpose

Problem

Income factors might not have an effect on delayed gratification

Purpose

This research plans to see whether or not a family’s income will influences their ability to delay gratification

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that there won’t be a correlation between delayed gratification and income

8 of 19

Methods

3 components of the survey

  • the consent form
  • 2nd was the Delayed Gratification Inventory scale(DGI-35) (Hoerger, 2016)
  • 3rd section was demographic and income questions

​

9 of 19

Demographics

N=40

N=5

N=12

Participant ages

10 of 19

Methods - Subsections

​

35-question DGI was divided into 5 sub categories:

  • Achievement (ex.”I would rather take the easy road in life than get ahead”)
  • Money (ex. “I enjoy spending money the moment I get it”)
  • Social (ex. “I do not consider how my behavior affects other people”)
  • Physical (ex. “When faced with a physically demanding chore, I always tried to put off doing it”)
  • Food (ex. “Even if I am hungry, I can wait until it is meal time before eating something”)

​

11 of 19

Income Analysis

​

  • Search participants legal guardian(s) if they didn’t provide their household income
  • Four categories of income:
    • Low (0-30K)
    • Middle-low (30-50K)
    • Middle (50-80k)
    • Middle-high (80k or more)
  • Occupational income data from salary.com

​

​

12 of 19

​

​

As income increases, delayed gratification decreases

Delayed gratification total score with income

N=138.7

N=136.3

N=128.8

N=134.4

N=5

N=20

N=18

N=11

13 of 19

​

​

Middle class had the lowest scores with how they deal with money

N=5

N=20

N=18

N=11

N=5

N=5

N=20

N=20

N=18

N=18

N=11

N=11

As the income increase the participants social ability slipped but increase

14 of 19

The low middle class and upper middle class had decrease with their relationship with food

N=20

N=5

N=18

N=11

N=5

N=5

N=20

N=20

N=18

N=18

N=11

N=11

N=11

Low income had the lowest when asked about their physical abilities

15 of 19

​

​

Middle class had the lowest scores when asked about their progress to achievements

N=20

N=5

N=18

N=11

16 of 19

Discussion

Summary of findings:

  • Lower class had the highest DGI score in the majority of the sub categories
  • Lower class had the highest total delayed gratification scores

​

Importance:

  • Possible bias during previous experiments on delayed gratification and income.
  • This research results contradict with other previous results.

​

​

17 of 19

  • Accurate household income
  • There weren't enough participants from each different income level
  • There wasn’t enough diversity in gender and race
  • Was in a google form survey

​

​

​

Limitations

  • Expand with the idea of taking first generation immigrant teenagers with non first generation participants, and see if their ability to delay gratification would be different
  • These skills should be taught in school

Future Research

18 of 19

Acknowledgments!

  • I’ll like to thank these people for helping me
  • My parents
  • My siblings
  • Jake
  • My friends
  • For helping me :)

19 of 19

References!

  1. Berkman, E. (2015, September 22). It’s not a lack of self-control that keeps people poor. The Conversation.
  2. Calarco, J. M. (2021, April 28). The Marshmallow Test:What Does It Really Measure? The Atlantic.
  3. Carr, L. C. (2016). How Economics Affects Our Ability to Delay Gratification. The Doctor Will See You Now.
  4. Cheng, Y. Y., Shein, P. P., & Chiou, W. B. (2011). Escaping the impulse to immediate gratification: The prospect concept promotes a future-oriented mindset, prompting an inclination towards delayed gratification. British Journal of Psychology, 103(1), 129–141.
  5. Cohen, I. S. C. (2017). The Benefits of Delaying Gratification. Psychology Today.
  6. Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Rodriguez, M. L. (1989). Delay of Gratification in Children. Science, 244(4907), 933–938.
  7. Delayed gratification can change the way you live and work. Shonna Waters, PhD
  8. Delayed Gratification Inventory scale (DGI-35).
  9. Dockrill, 2018 “Your Ability to Resist Instant Gratification May Predict Your Earning Potential”

​