Yes, this can absolutely be the case. Consider a child who grows up with multiple older siblings in a bad neighborhood with an unreliable single parent. If pro

Yes, this can absolutely be the case. Consider a child who grows up with multiple older siblings in a bad neighborhood with an unreliable single parent. If promises are seldom upheld, possessions are stolen without recourse, and there is persistent scarcity to begin with... how likely will this child be able to delay gratification for a greater reward (in an isolated research center) when the totality of their life experience has trained them that doing so will most likely result in losing what they already have? This is also explicitly called out in the article > In other words, the child's ability to delay gratification and display self-control was not a predetermined trait, but rather was impacted by the experiences and environment that surrounded them. In fact, the effects of the environment were almost instantaneous. Just a few minutes of reliable or unreliable experiences were enough to push the actions of each child in one direction or another.