- Dr. Gold, how do you understand as a children and adolescents’ psychiatry the savings subject in the young?

As you know, one of the fundamental axes in the ability to live is the so-called system of self-regulation of behavior. It is about a series of neurobiological functions that although depend in their beginning from congenital factors, they are very influenced by their growth due to environmental aspects, fundamentally linked.

- How does work that system?

The suitable system conformation of a self-regulation depends on complex neuronal circuit growth which makes possible to the child become owner of his behavior and not necessarily be guided by his impulses or deep emotions.

- How does it affect the system in the daily life?

The advantage of a good self-regulation system is in practice, to improve efficiency in tasks that require stopping, thinking and then acting.

- What does it imply?

To have a good self-regulatory system from the neurobiological point of view implies that the brain has learned or is learning three fundamental functions which have the word control in common. Wait control, impulse control and interference control.

- How can we the grown-ups so this system growths effectively?

So that it grows efficiently it is necessary a certain biological indemnity, on which they will act, fundamentally the parents, but also the educators (teachers). The educational practices where the support and empathic affection are the ‘melody’, but accompanied by a nurturing style with routines and limits, not overprotective nor humiliating, they have a greater possibility that the self-regulatory system growths properly.

- Do you have any example that would help us to illustrate the point?

In the 60’s, Walter Mischel, a psychology professor was investigating in the Stanford University’s Nursery the 4 to 6-year-old children behavior. They invited to a room with a unidirectional mirror, and they sat down to play with him or her with a small table according to their age. Suddenly they give them a candy which is supposed the children loved it (Marshmallows). The interviewer told that they had to go and search for something. That these 2 candies were going to be his, or he could even choose two Oreo cookies or pretzels if he did not touch them. If they touched them, or if he ate one maybe, he loses the chance to eat something after fifteen minutes. Participated at the beginning about 600 children and it was measured based in the so-called gratification delay, wait control and the impulse control. They followed up these children and there was a statistically significant correlation between the proven control capacity in the 4 to 6 years old and better academic results and the social relationship. However, the most important about this study (MARSHMALLOW TEST) is that when they gave them the child control strategies, the results improved widely.

- A final word...

The habits that imply waiting to obtain the prize, would improve the self-regulation capacity. In this sense, the planned savings would step in like a behavior that would help to develop the self-regulation capacities. I hope this information is useful to you.

- Thanks so much for your contribution, Dr. Gold.