Raisin your kids right will make them smart

20 November 2015 - 02:34 By ©The Daily Telegraph

It could be the simplest test of childhood aptitude ever invented. Placing a raisin under a cup and warning a toddler not to eat it until instructed can predict how clever they will be at the age of eight. Although resisting the lure of a small piece of dried fruit may seem a simple enough feat, in fact most youngsters will find the task an excruciating test of self-control. The majority will fail."Better inhibitory control at age 20 months predicted better attention regulation and academic achievement at age eight years," said Professor Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick.Those who show enough self-discipline to wait for a whole minute will have an IQ 7 points higher than those who ate the fruit early, said academics.Researchers say the game tests attention span and learning capacity and could also be done with chocolate, a marshmallow or "nibbles".The team at the University of Warwick are particularly interested in using the game to find out if premature babies will have learning difficulties.Wolke, who is based in the Department of Psychology at Warwick Medical School, said: "The raisin game is an easy and effective tool that is good at assessing inhibitory control in young children, takes only five minutes, and can be used in clinical practice to identify children at risk of attention and learning problems."Better inhibitory control at age 20 months predicted better attention regulation and academic achievement at the age of eight years."The results also point to potential innovative avenues to early intervention after preterm birth."The test is similar to the well-known Stanford Marshmallow Test which was developed in the 1960s. ..

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