Self-Control: Methods for Child Training

This article reports results from field research on training children in methods of behavioral self-control—an effort that has developed from interest in the generalization and maintenance of behavior and from concerns raised by educational “humanists.” Presented are concepts related to the process and acquisition of self-control, a research review, and a discussion of the implications of the research for training teachers and exceptional children.¹ Two research and training procedures were identified: self-management methods and cognitive methods. Several self-management studies have concluded that children may maintain appropriate behavior following a training period in which external controls are gradually yielded to them. In most studies, however, because competing external stimuli were uncontrolled, children may have improved their ability to identify these rather than developed self-control. Although laboratory research suggests that cognitive training methods are potentially powerful, this has not been clearly demonstrated in field studies.²