Repetition Is The Mother Of Obedience - Research

If you think that the minutes of languishing in anticipation of candy can dull the child's desire to eat it, then you are wrong. Researchers at the University of Colorado have experimentally confirmed that the idea that exposure helps to moderate ardor and master emotions is just a myth.

The author of the study, psychologist Jane Barker, assures that the "ban and wait" strategy does not work with babies. He cites the results of an experiment involving 150 three-year-olds. They were asked to open boxes with a green ("can") marker and not to open boxes with a red ("no") marker. Half of the kids were told the rules in advance and then showed all the boxes with markers. And each time the others were told the rules, and then the box was marked before their eyes. The guys from the first group made mistakes much more times, often opened forbidden boxes, and after a series of failures they delayed opening the allowed ones. Those kids who were reminded about "no" every time were more accurate.

The conclusion is simple - no pauses help children "realize" the taboo and learn to restrain themselves. And if parents want to teach the child self-control without traumatizing the psyche, it is necessary to methodically remind the "rules of the game".