Comments on: The Marshmallow Temptation Test

By: Connie

Connie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:59:39 +0000

If this is a test on delayed gratification, then we’re all in serious trouble, as only one kid was able to control himself until the woman came back.

By: Elusis

Elusis — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:12:14 +0000

Thumbnail – you don’t get to hear the full explanation given to the kids.

Radiolab had a great podcast about the original version of this experiment: http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2009/03/09/mischel%E2%80%99s-marshmallows/

By: Thumbnail

Thumbnail — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:38:48 +0000

The woman says “I’ll give you another one.” This could easily mean that it’s instead of, and not in addition to the one in front of them. This experiment is flawed.

By: Randy Stewart

Randy Stewart — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:41:06 +0000

If you want to read more about the original marshmallow test and why gratification delayers are “more successful” in life, the New Yorker had an excellent article a few months ago here – http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer

Good lord this is hard to watch. Clearly, I’m not too good at delaying…

By: Milarepa

Milarepa — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:48:53 +0000

For the interested: This is the ‘delayed gratification task’. Success is in large parts dependent on how well the children can make their mind focus on somthing else. Children who are preoccupied with the reward during the waiting phase and do not divert their attention away from it fail most of the times.
The scary thing is: Performance on this ‘test’ can predict success later in life (measured eg. in GPA and salary) to a very large degree.

Kind regards
Your fellow neuroscientist. :D

By: David Matthew

David Matthew — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:25:11 +0000

Some claim, of course, that the children most able to resist are those who do best in life — they have the best impulse control.