Re:Marshmallow Test Fails to Replicate
by madaxe_again on Saturday August 03, 2024 @06:58AM
(#41145853)
There is one big variable here that is being overlooked - which is the test itself.
I remember my mother doing the marshmallow test on me, aged 3. She put two packs of play-doh moulds on the stairs where I could see them - one with three in it, one with five in it.
She told me that if I didn’t touch them, then she would give me the pack with five for my birthday a week later, and the pack with three to a friend. If I did touch them, she would give them both to said friend.
After passing them on the stairs for the umpteenth time, after a few days, I caved, and opened the small pack.
She made good on her threat.
This was 40 years ago, and remains seared into my mind as a learning moment, and I have, since that moment, been absolutely ruled by delayed gratification - I never made that error again.
So, in short, merely administering the test likely influences the outcome, as humans have memories, and children learn from experience.
I remember my mother doing the marshmallow test on me, aged 3. She put two packs of play-doh moulds on the stairs where I could see them - one with three in it, one with five in it.
She told me that if I didn’t touch them, then she would give me the pack with five for my birthday a week later, and the pack with three to a friend. If I did touch them, she would give them both to said friend.
After passing them on the stairs for the umpteenth time, after a few days, I caved, and opened the small pack.
She made good on her threat.
This was 40 years ago, and remains seared into my mind as a learning moment, and I have, since that moment, been absolutely ruled by delayed gratification - I never made that error again.
So, in short, merely administering the test likely influences the outcome, as humans have memories, and children learn from experience.