From a very early age,some children exhibit better self-control than others.Now,a new study that began with about 1,000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health,money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years. Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now.They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed.Parents,teachers,even the kids themselves,scored the youngsters on measures like“acting before thinking”and “Persistence in reaching goals.” The study led by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1,000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin,New Zealand. “The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten,later on had the most health problems in their 30s,” Moffitt said, “and they had the worst financial situation.They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.”Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed,and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids. Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others,though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior,with relatively little genetic influence.But good self-control can be set to run in familles because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents.But the good news,Moffitt said,is that self-control can be taught by parents,and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective. 小题1:From the first two paragraphs we learn that .
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