Niklas Capps gets ready for recess at Clara Barton Center for Children in Cabin John, Md., Feb. 11. Teachers at the school focus on promoting self-control.
2月11日，尼格拉斯·卡普斯準(zhǔn)備在馬里蘭州卡班·約翰的克拉拉·巴頓兒童中心休假。學(xué)校的老師們正在致力于提高孩子們的自我控制能力。
Self-control keeps us from eating a whole bag of chips or from running up the credit card. A new study says that self-control makes the difference between getting a good job or going to jail - and we learn it in preschool.
自我控制能力防止我們吃掉一整袋的薯?xiàng)l或者把信用卡刷爆。一項(xiàng)新研究指出，我們?cè)趯W(xué)齡前學(xué)習(xí)的自我控制能力決定了將來(lái)是得到一份好工作還是去坐牢。
"Children who had the greatest self-control in primary school and preschool ages were most likely to have fewer health problems when they reached their 30s," says Terrie Moffitt, a professor of psychology at Duke University and King's College London.
"在小學(xué)和學(xué)前年齡時(shí)就具有極佳自控能力的孩子們非?？赡茉谌鄽q時(shí)的健康問(wèn)題較少。"，杜克大學(xué)和倫敦大學(xué)國(guó)王學(xué)院的心理學(xué)教授泰利·莫菲特說(shuō)。
Moffitt and a team of researchers studied a group of 1,000 people born in New Zealand in 1972 and 1973, tracking them from birth to age 32. The new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the best evidence yet on the payoff for learning self-discipline early on.
莫菲特和一組研究人員研究了1972年和1973年在新西蘭出生的1000人，從出生跟蹤他們直到三十二歲。發(fā)表在美國(guó)國(guó)家科學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)上的這項(xiàng)新研究，是因早早學(xué)習(xí)自律而收益的最好證據(jù)。
The researchers define self-control as having skills like conscientiousness, self-discipline and perseverance, as well as being able to consider the consequences of actions in making decisions.
研究人員將自我控制能力定義為自我覺悟、自我約束和毅力，以及能夠在決策中考慮行動(dòng)的后果。
The children who struggled with self-control as preschoolers were three times as likely to have problems as young adults. They were more prone to have a criminal record; more likely to be poor or have financial problems; and they were more likely to be single parents.
在學(xué)齡前無(wú)法自控的兒童出問(wèn)題的幾率是成年后無(wú)法自控的人的三倍。他們更容易有犯罪紀(jì)錄，貧窮或有經(jīng)濟(jì)困難的可能性更大，更有可能成為單親家長(zhǎng)。
This study doesn't prove that the lack of self-control in childhood caused these problems, but the large size of the study, and the fact that it followed one group of people over many years, makes a good case for an effect.
本研究并不能證明自童年缺乏自我控制能力就會(huì)造成這些問(wèn)題，但這項(xiàng)研究規(guī)模之大以及多年來(lái)追蹤一組人的事實(shí)，是一個(gè)效果很好的例子。
Teaching Control
教習(xí)自制
Economists and public health officials want to know whether teaching self-control could improve a population's physical and financial health and reduce crime. Three factors appear to be key to a person's success in life: intelligence, family's socioeconomic status and self-control. Moffitt's study found that self-control predicted adult success, even after accounting for the participants' differences in social status and IQ.
經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家和公共衛(wèi)生官員希望知道是否教習(xí)自我控制能提高人們物質(zhì)和財(cái)政的健康并且減少犯罪。三個(gè)因素可能是成功的關(guān)鍵：智力、家庭的社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)地位和自我控制能力。莫菲特的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，即使參與者具有不同的社會(huì)地位和智商，自我控制能力預(yù)示了成年時(shí)的成功。
Cathie Morton, a teacher at the Clara Barton Center for Children, leads the kids in a clapping exercise to signal that it is time to shift gears and start cleaning up.
凱西·莫頓是克拉拉·巴頓兒童中心的老師，他以拍掌為信號(hào)，教孩子們改變節(jié)目并開始清理場(chǎng)地。
IQ and social status are hard to change. But Moffitt says there is evidence that self-control can be learned.
智商和社會(huì)地位很難改變。但莫菲特說(shuō)，有證據(jù)表明，自我控制可以習(xí)得。
"Identical twins are not identical on self-control," she says. "That tells us that it is something they have learned, not something they have inherited."
"同卵雙胞胎的自我控制能力并不一樣，"她說(shuō)，"這告訴我們，這是他們學(xué)到的東西，而不是遺傳來(lái)的。"
Teaching self-control has become a big focus for early childhood education. At the Clara Barton Center for Children in Cabin John, Md., it starts with expecting a 4-year-old to hang up her coat without being asked.
教習(xí)自我控制已經(jīng)成為幼兒教育的一大焦點(diǎn)。馬里蘭州卡班·約翰的克拉拉·巴頓兒童中心從教4歲的孩子自覺自動(dòng)的掛起外套開始。
Director Linda Owen says the children are expected to be responsible for a series of actions when they arrive at school each morning, without help from Mom and Dad. The children sign in, put away their lunches, hang up their own clothes, wash their hands before they can play, and then choose activities in the classroom.
董事長(zhǎng)琳達(dá)·歐文說(shuō)，每天早晨到校后，孩子們應(yīng)該不在父母的幫助下對(duì)自己的一系列行為負(fù)責(zé)。孩子們簽到，收起午餐，掛上衣服，洗手，之后才可以玩耍，然后選擇課堂活動(dòng)。
"All those things help with self-management," Owen says.
"所有這些都有助于自我管理，"歐文說(shuō)。
Mediating Conflict
調(diào)解沖突
Of course, not all 4-year-olds are ready to manage that, so the classroom is loaded with cues and clues to help the preschoolers make their own decisions and be responsible.
當(dāng)然，并非所有4歲的孩子都能夠做到這些，所以教室里到處是幫助學(xué)齡前兒童作出自己的決定并負(fù)責(zé)的暗示和線索。
Liya Pomfret and Rowan Miller demonstrate how they use the "solutions kit" to resolve conflicts.
麗雅·龐弗雷特及羅文·米勒展示了他們?nèi)绾问褂?quot;解決方案工具包"來(lái)解決沖突。
A series of seven photos over the sink shows the correct sequence for hand washing. A "solutions kit" poster shows techniques the children can use to resolve disagreements themselves, like sharing or playing with another toy. The two teachers give the children multiple cues when it's time to clean up: Lights flash, a bell rings and the children clap and count to 100. That makes it easier to switch gears without a meltdown.
水槽底一系列的七張照片顯示了洗手的正確順序。一個(gè)"解決方案工具包"海報(bào)顯示了孩子可以利用它獨(dú)立解決分歧的技巧，比如與他人分享或者玩其他玩具。到打掃的時(shí)間的時(shí)候，兩位老師會(huì)給孩子們多個(gè)提示：閃燈、鈴聲、孩子們鼓掌并數(shù)到100。這使得變換活動(dòng)更容易，而且不會(huì)亂套。1
If a child has problems with self-management, the teachers make a customized "visual cue" card, with photos of the four play choices in the room, to make the decision easier.
如果孩子不能自我管理，老師在房間里掛上四種游戲選擇做的照片作為特定的"視覺提示"牌幫助他們更容易地做出決定。
And teachers Cathie Morton and Daniela Capbert don't just supervise - they're in the thick of the children's play so that when the inevitable conflicts arise, they can redirect the children into other activities or help them talk through their feelings.
像凱西·莫頓和丹尼拉·凱普貝爾特不只是監(jiān)督——他們也會(huì)參與到兒童游戲中，當(dāng)不可避免的沖突發(fā)生時(shí)，他們可以讓孩子們做其他活動(dòng)，或幫助孩子通過(guò)交談交流感受。
When things do go wrong, there are consequences. Timeouts and apologies don't mean much to children at this age, Owen says, so the teachers try to match consequences to the deed. When one of the children accidentally knocks over a 2-foot-tall tower of blocks that several children had spent half the morning building, the teachers ask the builders what should happen next. "Help fix it," one boy says. And, with a little prompting from the adults, they all pitch in and rebuild.
事情做錯(cuò)了，必然會(huì)有后果。罰坐冷板凳和道歉對(duì)這個(gè)年齡段的兒童并不是很重要，歐文說(shuō)，因此老師會(huì)嘗試匹配行為后果。當(dāng)一個(gè)孩子意外地碰倒幾個(gè)孩子花了半個(gè)上午才搭建的兩英尺高的積木時(shí)，老師問(wèn)搭積木的孩子們下一步會(huì)發(fā)生什么。"幫助修復(fù)它，"一個(gè)男孩說(shuō)。而且，成人給他們一些鼓勵(lì)后，孩子們都開始加入重新搭建。2
Self-Control At Home
在家自制
Parents can help their children learn self-control. Mary Alvord is a clinical psychologist in Silver Spring, Md., whose new book, Resilience Builder Program for Children and Adolescents, teaches self-control strategies. Take small steps, she says. For example, preschoolers can learn that they don't always get what they want immediately; they may need to wait for that treat.
家長(zhǎng)可以幫助孩子學(xué)會(huì)自我控制?，旣悺ぐ栁值埋R里蘭州銀泉的一位臨床心理醫(yī)生，她的新書《兒童和青少年韌性培養(yǎng)計(jì)劃》教導(dǎo)自我控制策略。采取小步驟，她說(shuō)，例如，幼兒可以知道他們并不總是立即就能得到想要的東西，他們可能需要等待飯菜。
"I call it Grandma's rule," Alvord says. "No dessert until you finish your dinner."
"我稱之為奶奶的法則，"阿爾沃德說(shuō)，"用完晚餐前不會(huì)有甜點(diǎn)。"
Parents can help teenagers learn self-control by making sure the family has clear rules for things like curfew or finishing homework before they have screen time. Teenager who have problems with impulsivity may benefit from special driving classes that let them practice controlling the car in difficult conditions on a racetrack. For all teens, clear rules such as curfews help them regulate themselves.
通過(guò)確定家庭對(duì)某些事有明確的規(guī)定，比如宵禁令或者完成作業(yè)后才能看電視，父母可以幫助青少年學(xué)習(xí)自我控制。那些容易沖動(dòng)的少年有可能會(huì)受益于特殊駕駛課程，讓他們練習(xí)在困難的條件下控制賽道上的車。對(duì)于所有的青少年來(lái)說(shuō)，像宵禁這樣明確的規(guī)定可以幫助他們自律。
Though self-control can be improved throughout life, Moffitt says the earlier children can learn these skills of self-discipline and perseverance, the better. "The later you wait in life to try to learn self-control skills, the more problems you have to reverse and overcome."
雖然自制能力的學(xué)習(xí)提高貫穿于整個(gè)人生，莫菲特說(shuō)，兒童學(xué)習(xí)自律和毅力的技巧越早越好。"在生活中嘗試學(xué)習(xí)自我控制能力拖得越晚，要扭轉(zhuǎn)和克服的問(wèn)題越多。"
All the more reason to start picking up blocks when you're very young.
所以，在你還小時(shí)，更要撿起那積木。