Delay of gratification, Porteus maze test performance, and behavioral adjustment in a delinquent group.

This study explored the relationships among a behavioral and verbal measure of delay of gratification, Porteus Maze Test measures of planning ability and foresight (TQ) and impulse control (Q), and ratings of adjustment in a school for delinquent adolescent males. Both measures of delay of gratification were significantly related to the Porteus measures and the adjustment ratings. Delay of gratification was also found to be related, in part, to age and ethnic-group membership, but not IQ. The findings were replicated in a Spanish-American subgroup of the total sample except for the relationship between TQ and the behavioral measure of delay. With the exception of TQ, a high degree of communality among the various measures was demonstrated.