THE MEDIATOR ROLE OF COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DELAY OF GRATIFICATION AND CREATIVITY IN PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN

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The aim of this research was to examine the relation between the delay of gratification and creativity in pre-school children and mediator role of cognitive flexibility and persistance in this relationship. The sample of the study consisted of 170 pre-school children, 87 boys and 83 girls, aged 4-5, in the state-dependent kindergarden in Bolu. To measure the delay of gratification, the method developed by Mischel and Ebbesen (1970) was implemended on pre-school children in a way that child must await for a desirable outcome in the front of gratifiying, instant reward. Children’s creativity was measured through the generation of different uses of an object (water glass), and the child was asked to produce different uses of this object in two manners. The different uses of glass were categorized according to their subcategories. In this way flexibility and persistance were measured by calculating unique categories (flexibility) and ideas divided by flexibility (persistance) for each child. The findings of this research have shown that there was a significant relationship among the delay of gratification, flexibilty, persistance, and creativity. Flexibility, but not persistance, also played as a full mediator for the relationship between the delay of gratification and creativity. These findings were discussed in light of literature.

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Delay of gratification , creativity , flexibility , pre , school children

Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi

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Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi