The onset of self-control in preschoolers: bridging the gap between criminological and developmental research

This study sought to examine the relationship between overall levels of self-control and preschoolers’ performance on various self-regulation tasks. An associated aim was to examine levels of self-control while taking into consideration specific antisocial and aggressive child behaviours as well as psychiatric indicators. To that end, the study examined the individual characteristics (i.e. clinical symptoms such as ADD/ADHD) of preschool-aged (3 – 5) boys and girls who have more difficulties controlling their aggressive behaviours (n = 207). Independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA’s and multiple regressions were conducted. Findings indicated significant differences in self-control with regards to gender, age, and referral source, but not ethnicity. Results also revealed significant relationships between level of self-control and both behavioural and clinical indicators of antisociality. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.