CONSCIENTIOUSNESS AND DELAYED GRATIFICATION

AMONG FIRST YEAR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS

_________________________

An Undergraduate Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Psychology
Holy Name University
City of Tagbilaran

_________________________________

by
Baliling, Jesli Angel
Berou, Michelle Angel
Cuizon, Trinity Grace
Dahab, Angelika
Dantes, Elisha Faith
Ragay, Aubrey Jane

March 2023
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Amongst the many fundamental components to success of an individual is

possessing the quality of conscientiousness (CITATION). When an individual

maintains the positive trait of conscientiousness, he/she exhibits a propensity of

being logical in all aspects, self-disciplined such as being able to delay instant

gratification, takes accountability for his/her own actions and most of all,

persistent in adroitly accomplishing one’s tasks, be it something simple or difficult

to pull off.

Conscientiousness, being one of the core elements of the Big Five

Personality Traits does have numerous facets as well. It includes self-discipline

as the underlined factor towards constructively influencing the conscientiousness

of an individual. Developing self-discipline helps individuals to become more

decisive on their assigned goals which consequently leads them to fulfill it with

satisfaction. They learn how to patiently wait for the greater reward rather than

get immediate gratification that’s not worth one’s while. Citation

(Another PARAGRGRAPH) However, distractions constantly and easily

surround an individual which adversely affect them from attaining self-discipline.

As the world advanced, the variety of distractions we encounter daily has also

increased. It is interesting how a single notification alert from phones has the
potential to render individuals to be incapable of barely finishing their task at

hand. This kind of occurrence have a tendency to elicit unrelated thoughts and

make one’s attention stray away which results to diminished performance and

lack of discipline of an individual in a work or school setting.

In a recent study published in the journal Social Psychology, it revealed

that even when a cell phone isn't being used, just having one around can cause

distractions by impairing your cognitive function and attention span. According to

study author and University of Southern Maine psychologist Bill Thornton, people

are reminded of the sociability and connectivity accessible to them through their

cell phones. As a result, it draws focus away from what they’re doing at the

moment. This also explains why cell phones has an immense impact on one’s

self-discipline, particularly on the younger generation who are more vulnerable to

distractions. (put year)

Add a aparagarph talking abot deayed gratification since it is one of the varibales

in the research

Talk about the respondents why ,… addd citation that perhaps they are low in

focus,. The connec to the last parapgraph..

The purpose of this study is to improve the level of conscientiousness of

the respondents by targeting their self-discipline. It also aims to help the

respondents become goal-oriented and develop their decision-making skills

through bringing delayed gratification into play, while they are presented with

distractions during the duration of the experiment. The researchers in this study
sought to conduct the experiment among first-year psychology students of Holy

Name University.

Review of Related Literature

Conscientiousness is the predisposition to manage impulses according to

group standards, to be goal-directed, to plan, and to be able to delay gratification.

Conscientiousness is a key personality trait with many characteristics, including

self-control, diligence, responsibility, and reliability. Due to its presence in the Big

Five classification of personality traits—Extraversion, Agreeableness,

Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness/Intellect—the term

conscientiousness is well known among researchers. In a study conducted by

Furnham and Cheng (2019), the study they describe in their publication tested

more than 12,000 participants. The Big Five personality traits—mental health,

gender, age, education, and occupation—were all aspects that the researchers

were interested in correlating with the criterion variable, gratification delay (GD)

(as predictor variables). The Big Five personality traits, mental health, and a

number of socio-demographic indicators were all significant and independent

predictors of GD, accounting for 19% of the overall variance of the outcome

variable, according to correlations and regressions. The strongest relationship,

as expected, was conscientiousness. A study conducted by Hu et al. (2022)

sought to further research on the relationship between conscientiousness and

health by examining whether there is a reciprocal relationship between

conscientiousness and well-being (subjective and physical well-being) in a

sample of Chinese undergraduate students using a cross-lagged design. In their

study of Chinese undergraduates, the researchers discovered that

conscientiousness was a prospective predictor of subjective well-being as

measured by positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. These results

confirmed prior findings that conscientiousness is a strong and prospective

predictor of subjective well-being, with high conscientiousness being associated

with better life satisfaction, less frequent negative affect, and more frequent

positive affect. On the one hand, those with high conscientiousness levels are

probably better at controlling negative affect and might be less stressed on a

daily basis. Conversely, those who score well on conscientiousness are more

likely to be self-disciplined, goal-directed, diligent, and rule-abiding, and their

reliable performance may help them succeed in their studies or at work. Such

achievement may contribute to improving their subjective well-being. Also, those

with high conscientiousness may have an easier time establishing long-lasting

and fulfilling interpersonal bonds, which could boost their subjective wellbeing.

Contrarily, those with low conscientiousness may struggle to create or maintain

adaptable interpersonal connections, which over time may result in a decline in

subjective well-being. Contrary to those with high conscientiousness levels, those

with low conscientiousness reported more physical symptoms and adverse

health outcomes. According to research, conscientiousness may safeguard

physical health by encouraging healthy behaviors and avoiding unhealthy ones.

Because being self-disciplined and responsible is better for physical health,

conscientious people prefer to pursue a higher quality of life and healthier

lifestyles, including participating in more physical activity and outdoor pursuits

and adhering to treatment and medication. Whereas those who are less

conscientious frequently exhibit poor self-control and self-discipline as well as

unhealthy habits, including a bad diet and insufficient exercise, which raise the

risk of chronic diseases. Together with socioeconomic position and cognitive

capacity, personality is a factor that affects important outcomes across the

lifespan. Consequently, it is crucial to recognize conscientiousness as a

personality trait that predicts physical health.

A study about the Relationship Between Parental Big Five and Children’s

Ability to Delay Gratification was conducted by Effenberger et al. (2021) aimed to

investigate the link between parental personality and 45-month-old children's

delay of gratification in the marshmallow test. The study looked at whether

parental neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and

conscientiousness were linked to children's delayed gratification (DoG).

Academic achievement and other facets of success in life are correlated with the

capacity to postpone gratification. The emergence of delay of gratification is

partially explained by genetic and environmental variables, including parenting

style. It is not apparent, nevertheless, whether or how parental personality affects

children's DoG, or how maternal and paternal personalities interact to influence

this link. The current study (N = 329) examines the connection between parental

personality and the DoG of 45-month-old children. The NEO-Five-Factor-

Inventory-30 was used to assess personality, and the waiting time in the

marshmallow test was used to operationalize DoG. Maternal openness to

experience was associated with a shorter child waiting time in the marshmallow
test in model 1, whereas maternal agreeableness was associated with a longer

waiting time, using just maternal data to predict DoG. Paternal agreeableness

was linked to a longer waiting time in model 2, which exclusively used paternal

data to predict DoG. Maternal openness to experience and paternal

agreeableness persisted as important predictors of DoG in model 3, which used

mother and paternal data to make the prediction. The current study highlights the

impact of both parents' personalities on how their children's DOG develops and

identifies distinct maternal and paternal effects. In their study, they found that in a

sample of young children, DoG operationalized as waiting time in minutes was

adversely linked with maternal openness to experience and positively associated

with mother agreeableness. Moreover, the DoG of children was favorably

correlated with paternal agreeableness. According to the researchers, this is the

first study to look at maternal and paternal personalities together to see how they

relate to children's DoG. Also, based on this research, a direct link between a

father's personality and his children's DoG was discovered for the first time,

emphasizing the significance of the father's contribution to the evaluation of

parental influence on a child's DoG. Another study by Yanaoka K. et al. (2022)

under the title Cultures Crossing: The Power of Habit in Delaying Gratification.

Resisting immediate temptations in favor of greater rewards down the road is a

predictor of academic performance, socioemotional competence, and health.

These early connections to delayed gratification have been attributed to cognitive

and social influences that counteract inclinations toward instant reward. Certain

traits, though, can actually encourage delayed gratification. In two countries with
contrasting waiting traditions, the researchers looked at how long kids delayed

gratification for various prizes. According to the findings, which were in line with

the researchers preregistered forecast, children in Japan (n = 80) delayed

gratification for food longer than for gifts, while children in the United States (n =

58) delayed gratification for gifts longer than for food. This interaction may be a

reflection of cultural differences: In Japan, waiting to eat is stressed more than it

is in the United States, while in the United States, waiting to open gifts is

stressed more than it is in Japan. These results provide a unique perspective on

why people postpone pleasure and why this behavior predicts success in life by

indicating that culturally specific habits favor postponing desire.

Given the context, conscientiousness represents motivational inclinations,

which are tendencies to create objectives and work towards them in a regular,

reliable manner, according to Deniz Ones, research co-author and distinguished

professor of industrial-organizational psychology in the College of Liberal Arts.

Furthermore, it has been discovered by researchers that the capacity to delay

gratification has a role in more than merely goal achievement. Also, it might have

a significant effect on general well-being and long-term success in life. Most of

the time, it is difficult to delay gratification, especially when people are unsure of

when the desired rewards will materialize. The ability to put off present needs in

order to pursue long-term goals, however, has been discovered by studies to be

a crucial component of success. Even though it's possible that some people can

never resist quick pleasure, it's still worthwhile to experiment with various

techniques and strengthen willpower.

 With this, the researchers will make a further study evaluating a person’s

level of conscientiousness and its ability to delay gratification. By focusing on the

respondents' self-discipline, this study seeks to improve their level of

conscientiousness. With the use of delayed gratification and distractions during

the experiment, it also intends to assist the responders in developing goal

orientation and decision-making abilities.

Delayed gratification RRL

RRL about desired respondents,. Hawt makes them unique in terms of their

age bracket,…

Theoretical Background

This study is anchored on three theories, namely: Skinner’s Incentive

Theory of Motivation (1950), Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation (1964),

Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977).

The Incentive Theory of Motivation is recognized through B.F. Skinner,

who is the most distinguished psychologist in this concept. He proposed the

notion that outside forces can influence or reinforce our actions. This theory

claims that external incentives drive us to act, as opposed to other views that

believe we are motivated by internal or intrinsic motives. Moreover, people are

driven away from activities that result in unfavorable outcomes and drawn toward

those that lead to external benefits.

 Social psychologist Stephen L. Franzoi stated in his book Psychology: A

Discovery Experience: “The value of an incentive can change over time and in

different situations.” In simple terms, depending on the timing and the

circumstance, the value of the same incentive may fluctuate. The same

incentives may have different value to different people.

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation (1964) posits that an individual

makes decisions about their behavior depending on what they think will produce

the most advantageous result. How much importance a person accords to

various motivations will determine how valid this theory is. This leads individuals

to make a choice which they believe will yield the best rewards for their efforts.

One of the key factors that is linked to expectancy is self-efficacy which allows an

individual to believe in one’s abilities to successfully execute one’s task which

then increase one’s motivation levels.

Such theory is essential for the study as it is centered on obtaining the

desired results of an individual through choosing the option that serves them

best. It allows us to understand the drive that affects a person to behave in a

certain way after being made known of a reward.

In Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977), he suggested that individuals

possess in their capacity to control the outcomes of their own lives. When faced

with stress and problems, Bandura claimed that perceived self-efficacy

determines the coping behavior that is used, as well as how much effort will be

put into accomplishing one's goals and how long those goals will be pursued. As

per his theory, self-efficacy is a quality that sustains itself; when someone is
motivated to figure out their problems on their own terms, they get pleasurable

experiences that in turn boost their sense of self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy was incorporated as one of the common factors that is

constantly linked with expectancy. When one is motivated by goals, there is a

high proportion that one’s belief in his/her own abilities will lead him/her to the

right track of success. Although, self-efficacy and motivation are commonly

tangled concepts, they are two different structures. Self-efficacy is based on a

person's confidence in their own ability to succeed, whereas motivation is based

on a person's desire to succeed. Although it is not a given, people with high self-

efficacy frequently have strong motivation and vice versa.

Nonetheless, it is true that when a person increases or maintains self-

efficacy through a success, no matter how small, they often experience an

increase in motivation to keep learning and progressing (Mayer, 2010).

It is most relevant to the aims of the study for the reason that, it gives

emphasis on an individual having the power to boost one’s self-efficacy through

resolving their own problems in order to get pleasant experiences.

Theoretical Framework

Incentive Theory of Motivation

Expectancy Theory of Motivation
Self-Efficacy Theory

Conscientiousness Delayed Gratification

 Conscientiousness and Delayed
Gratificationamong First Year
Psychology Students

Action Plan

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The objective of this study is to assess the level of Conscientiousness of

the Big Five Personality Trait through delayed gratification among first-year

psychology students of Holy Name University.

Specifically, this study attempted to seek answers to the following questions:

1. Personal Information

1.1 Age

1.2 Sex

2. What is the degree of conscientiousness of the respondents pre-delayed

gratification intervention?
 3. What is the degree of conscientiousness of the respondents post-delayed

gratification intervention?

4. Is there a significant difference in the degree of conscientiousness

between pre-delayed gratification intervention and post-delayed

gratification intervention?

Statement of the Hypothesis

There is no significant difference in the degree of conscientiousness

between pre-delayed gratification intervention and post-delayed gratification

intervention.

Significance of the Study

This study will be essential in improving the level of conscientiousness of

the first-year BS Psychology students of Holy Name University, by focusing on

their self-discipline. In addition, it seeks to assist respondents to become goal-

oriented and strengthen their decision-making skills by introducing delayed

gratification while presenting them with distractions throughout the experiment.

The study will benefit the individuals involved – mainly the students,

parents, teachers, and future researchers. Furthermore, this study will act as a

resource and guide for similar studies in the future.

Students. This study will be of great help in improving their level of

conscientiousness, predominantly their self-discipline.

Teachers. They will be given greater knowledge about understanding how

various outside influences can operate as major distractions for students and

how that may hinder their ability to maintain self-discipline.

Parents. As a result of their awareness of their children's level of

conscientiousness, it will push them to participate in and contribute to their

children's lives and assist them in developing or fostering self-discipline.

Future Researchers. It can be used as a guide and reference for future

researchers. This research will prove beneficial to researchers who plan to

conduct a similar study.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The general intent of this study is to improve the level of

Conscientiousness of the Big Five Personality Trait through delayed gratification

among first-year psychology students of Holy Name University.

The study's data collection will be conducted only on twenty-four (24) first-

year psychology students, twelve (12) male and twelve (12) female students, of

Holy Name University in the school year 2022-2023, and the conduction of the

experiment will be at Holy Name University in J.A Clarin Street, Tagbilaran City,

Bohol. Other students who do not fall as part of the first-year Psychology

students of Holy Name University are outside the scope of this research.

A pretest and posttest using the Big Five Personality Test (BFPT) will be

used to know the participants' personality traits and will be conducted to measure
the difference after the treatment of delayed gratification is done. This study will

not focus on the level of the other personality traits and cover factors that may

affect the different personality traits in the Five Factor Model of Personality,

OCEAN, other than Conscientiousness.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

To accomplish the intended goal of this study, the researchers made use

of a Quasi-Experimental research design to answer the questions and purpose of

the study. This research sought to improve the level of conscientiousness of the

respondents mainly targeting their self-discipline. This research comprises the

collection of data and information from the respondents. This research is utilizing

the Big Five Personality Test (BFPT) in measuring the participant’s personality

traits. Two types of tests named pre-test and post-test will also be employed. To

obtain precise and comprehensive information, both the researchers and the

respondents would have to actively participate. The study's results will be

examined and validated. Using all the obtained data, the researchers will be able

to establish a scientific conclusion.

Research Environment

The researchers will conduct this experiment at Holy Name University in

J.A Clarin Street, Tagbilaran City, Bohol particularly in Room 401C which is also

known as the Psychology Laboratory situated in the College of Arts and Sciences

building.

Research Participants

The chosen respondents of the study will be First-Year Psychology

students of Holy Name University. There are twenty-four (24), 12 males and 12

females, as the total number of respondents. Considering sex and gender in

research is one important way to contribute to gender equality and create more

inclusive research results. The researchers chose first-year psychology students

as the study's respondents because, aside from its convenience, it is more

practical not to go beyond other courses as respondents. The researchers can

approach the respondents at any moment because we are familiar with and have

encountered them, making the study more accessible. Furthermore, data

gathering will be more effective and accurate, considering both respondents and

researchers are psychology students. Moreover, the researchers chose first-year

psychology students as the subject of the study as this age group is the most at-

risk for cell phone addiction because this age group is more likely to experience

behavioral problems.
 Simple random sampling will be used to identify the participants of this

study. Random Sample is a subset of individuals randomly selected by the

researchers to represent an entire group.

The study's inclusion criteria include twenty (24) first-year students from

the Bachelor of Science in Psychology program. On the other hand, the study's

exclusion criteria are those students from the other four (4) programs of the

College of Arts and Sciences Department: BA Communication, BA Political

Science, BS Biology, and BS Criminology. Students from the College of Business

and Accountancy, College of Education, College of Engineering, and College of

Health Sciences will also be excluded to become the potential respondents of the

study.

Research Instrument

The Big Five Personality Test (BFPT) will be used to measure the

participants' personality traits. Furthermore, two kinds of tests will be used to

collect the data. The first one is the pretest, and the second is the posttest. Both

of them are the most critical procedure to acquire the data. Before giving a

treatment, the researcher will hold the pretest to get a score that becomes data

for the researcher before the posttest. After conducting a pretest, the researcher

will give a treatment to the experimental group because this is a sample to be

analyzed. After the treatment is given, the researcher will give a posttest as a

final procedure to collect the data.

 The BFPT model has been adapted for the five personality traits of older

children and up. It is a 50-item tool in which the participants answer questions on

a scale of 1- 5. 1 = Disagree 2 = Slightly disagree 3 = Neutral 4 = Slightly agree 5

= Agree. Each personality type will have a score between 0-40. Higher scores

equal stronger personality types. The five evaluated dimensions are:

Extraversion (engagement and interest in social interactions), Agreeableness

(cooperative orientation to others), Conscientiousness (persistence in the pursuit

of task), Neuroticism (strong emotional proclivities), Openness to Experience

(active pursuit of intellectually and aesthetically stimulating experiences).

As regards the validity of the tool, the internal consistency analysis

conducted by Martinez et al. resulted in the subscales of conscientiousness (α =

0.87), agreeableness (α = 0.82), neuroticism (α = 0.83), extraversion (α = 0.75),

and openness (α = 0.72). The internal consistency analysis for the total scale (n

= 65) gave a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.86, which shows the adequate

reliability of the items that make up the scale.

Research Procedure

Data Gathering

The Researchers will first send a letter of request to the Registrar's office

of Holy Name University to obtain the list of enrollees, their respective block

section, and email of first-year Psychology students of Holy Name University for

the semester of the academic year 2022-2023. Upon gathering the sample

respondents, it will be ensured that they are bona fide students from Holy Name
University. The researchers will comply and submit the required documents for

the integrity assessment to the Ethics Regulatory Board. 

After receiving a certification from the Ethics Regulatory Board, the

researchers will send a formal letter of approval to the Dean of the College of

Arts and Sciences to gather data. Simple random sampling will be used to

identify the participants of this study. The researchers will gather twenty-four (24)

participants from the population size of the first-year psychology students; twelve

(12) male and twelve (12) female participants. 

Upon the approval, through the university email and messenger accounts

of the respondents, the researchers will personally contact them for the invitation

to participate, with the assurance to complete confidentiality of responses and

identities. 

Upon confirming the respondents to participate, the researchers will

provide instructions and express appreciation for their time and cooperation. A

pretest and post-test using the Big Five Personality Test (BFPT) will be used to

know the participants' personality traits and will be conducted to measure the

difference after the treatment of delayed gratification is done. The researchers

will conduct the pretest using the Big Five Personality Test (BFPT) to know the

personality traits of each respondent, especially the level of conscientiousness,

and record the data. Respondents will be asked to answer the BFPT honestly

and base their responses on personal experiences. The respondents will be

given ample time to finish answering and will have an opportunity to ask for

clarifications.
 After the pretest of BFPT is taken, an experiment on delayed gratification,

a modified and age-appropriate version of the Stanford Marshmallow

Experiment, will be done. In this experiment, two things will be at stake: the

participant's phone and the snack of their choice. The main procedure for the

experiment will be as follows:

First, a student will be taken into a room and allowed to pick a snack they

would like to eat based on the options given by the researchers. For the

respondent to receive the snack, a condition that they will not use their phones

for a few minutes will have to be met. The respondent's phones will be placed in

front of them with all notifications turned on. 

The researcher will then leave the room for a few minutes and tell the

respondent that if they could wait until the researcher came back without using

their phones, they would receive the snack of their choice as a reward and be

able to use their phones again without restriction.

For a second time, after succeeding in waiting and receiving the snack,

the previous procedure will be done, but the respondent will receive double the

reward or snack of their choice. 

The respondent's ability to delay gratification will be measured by whether

they could wait until the researcher returned without using their phones, and if

not, then by seeing how long it took before they used their phones or called the

researcher back into the room. A reward or snack will only be given if the

respondent is able to wait and not use their phone.

 The experiment will be conducted for two (2) weeks with three (3)

sessions per week. Twenty (20) minutes will be the set waiting time for the first

week and thirty (30) minutes for the second week. Results of each respondent's

performance will be recorded: how many times they succeeded and how many

times they did not, including the duration of the time they eventually used their

phone. 

In the third week, the post-test of the BFPT will be conducted, and the

responses will be collected as data to be compared with the results of the

pretest. Furthermore, the gathered data will be analyzed and calculated using the

Paired Sample t-test. These values will be used to draw conclusions and validate

the hypothesis.
 A letter of request will be sent to the university registrar to obtain participants record

Determine the sample size and sampling method

Compile and submit requirements to the Ethics Regulatory Board

Request an approval from the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences to conduct the
study

Request voluntary participation and through student Email of respondents

Pre-test using the Big Five Personality Test

Experiment on Delayed Gratification

Post-test using the BigFive Personality Test

Gathered data will be analyzed and calculated, and validated hypothesis

Figure 2. Research Procedure Flowchart

Statistical Treatment

The Paired Sample t-test will be used to determine whether the mean

difference between the two sets, there results of the pre-test and post-test, of

observations is zero.

The formula for the paired t-test is given by:

∑d
t=
√ n(∑ d 2 )−¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
¿

 d=¿ Difference between two paired samples

  n=¿ The sample size

 t=¿ The t-statistic (t-test statistic) for a paired sample t-test

 p=¿ The p-value (probability value) for the t-statistic

 ∑ d =¿ The sum of the differences

The probability of observing the test statistic under the null hypothesis is

calculated by comparing t to a t-distribution with (n − 1) degrees of freedom. This

can be done either manually or with statistical software for more precise results

by looking up the value in a table.

 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

Delayed Gratification. The ability of the respondent to restrain themselves from

acting on immediate reward in order to receive a reward with greater value at a

later time.

Conscientiousness. This is one of the Big Five Personality Traits which is

associated with an individual’s self discipline and self control.

Level of conscientiousness. It refers to the measure of conscientiousness

which is generated from the Big Five (OCEAN) Personality Test.

Big Five (OCEAN) Personality Test. It is a standardized tool used to measure

the five personality traits namely openness, conscientiousness, extraversion,

agreeableness, and neuroticism. In this study, this tool is used to specifically

measure the level of conscientiousness.

Reward. This refers to the compensation an individual receives after achieving a

task or meeting required conditions.