Choosing problem-solving rewards and Halloween prizes: Delay of gratification and preference for symbolic reward as a function of development, motivation, and personal investment.

Conducted 3 experiments to generate and cross-validate a developmental account of reward preferences in the lifelike condition in which available rewards differ on both the immediate-delayed and material-symbolic dimensions. 429 children within a broad range of developmental levels (CA 2?–20 yrs) selected from arrays in which immediate-material, immediate-symbolic, delayed-material, and delayed-symbolic items were available. In each experiment more mature Ss delayed gratification to maximize reward magnitude and chose rewards symbolic of success more often than did less mature Ss. Analyses indicated that the 2 reward dimensions were both highly salient in Ss' thinking and that developmental effects on the 2 dimensions could be neatly integrated within a 3-stage developmental scale. Developmental effects on this scale and on the separate dimensions persisted across changes in the particular reward items available and changes in location from school testing room to more naturalistic Halloween settings. Findings indicate that preference for symbolic rewards tends to be more pronounced among the mentally retarded than the nonretarded but cast doubt upon previous interpretations of that group difference. Finally, children's Halloween prize choices suggested that preference for symbolic reward is a function of one's developmental level, the achievement being rewarded, and the extent of one's personal investment in that achievement. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)