Does Childhood Intelligence Predict the Emergence of Self-Control?

Theory suggests—and research has confirmed—that low self-control is significantly related to delinquency and crime. People with low self-control tend to be impulsive and to have trouble delaying gratification and considering possible long-term consequences of their behavior. Self-control is said to be learned during the formative years of a child’s life. Parenting is critical to the development of self-control; parents who provide clear rules and consistent, fair punishment help instill self-discipline in their children. But what about children’s innate characteristics, such as their intelligence level? Petkovsek and Boutwell (2014) set out to test whether children’s intelligence significantly affected their development of self-control, net of parenting, and other environmental factors. They ran OLS regression models and found the following results (note that SE = standard error).