Associations among Maternal Behavior, Delay of Gratification, and School Readiness across the Early Childhood Years Rachel A. Razza and Kimberly Raymond, Syracuse University Abstract This study examined the developmental pathways from maternal behavior to school readiness within a sample of 1007 children, with a specific focus on the mediating role of delay of gratification (DoG). Maternal behavior across the first 36 months of age was explored as a predictor of children’s DoG at 54 months as well as their behavioral and academic competence in kindergarten. Results support sensitivity as a predictor of children’s DoG and indicate significant associations between DoG and teacher- reported externalizing behavior, social skills, and academic skills. Moreover, DoG partially mediated the associations between maternal sensitivity and school readiness skills, with the highest percentage of mediation reported for social skills. Findings indicate maternal sensitivity and DoG as potential targets for efforts aimed at enhanc- ing school readiness among young children. Keywords: self-regulation; school readiness; social behavior; parents/parenting Introduction Self-regulatory competence generally refers to the process of modulating systems of emotion, attention, and behavior in response to a given contextual situation, stimulus, or demand (Calkins & Fox, 2002; Posner & Rothbart, 2000). It is understood as an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of subskills, many of which are necessary for handling socially relevant tasks and goal-directed activity. Not surprisingly, self- regulation has emerged as an important predictor of school readiness, as a growing body of research demonstrates links between its underlying components and early behavioral and academic competence (Blair & Razza, 2007; Valiente, Lemery-Chalfant, Swanson, & Reiser, 2008). One component of self-regulation that has received increased attention in recent years is delay of gratification (DoG), which refers to the child’s ability and willingness to control the impulse to act immediately and wait as instructed for a more valued or desirable reward (Mischel, Shoda, & Rodriguez, 1989). A child’s ability to delay gratification emerges in the first year of life and continues to develop across the childhood years (Kopp, 1982; Mischel et al., 1989). Like other self-regulatory skills, DoG is learned, in part, through early parent–child interactions (Campos, Campos, & Barrett, 1989; Kopp, 1982; Rothbart & Bates, 2006). Although Correspondence should be addressed to Rachel Razza, Department of Child and Family Studies, Syracuse University, 426 Ostrom Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA. Email: rrazza@syr.edu Social Development Vol 22 No. 1 180–196 February 2013 doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2012.00665.x © Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2012. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.