Marshmallow test
Schuyler
Bob Collier posted this on facebook: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/12/marshmallow-ology-why-wait-when-the-better-treat-might-never-arrive/%c2%a0and it's a beautiful piece of the puzzle of why unschooled children seem to not be gorging themselves on special things, food or video games or whatever it is. It is a beautiful examination of why it is adaptive not to wait.
Some of you, many of you may know of the "marshmallow test" wherein a child was placed in a room with a marshmallow and told if they could go without eating the marshmallow for 15 minutes they would get two, or something. Those children who were able to wait where shown to have better outcomes later on in life. Their willpower proved to be a powerful tool for gaining them success. This follow up study, this new twist seems to suggest that the marshmallow test was actually capturing a different variable then willpower, it was capturing the reliability of adults in their lives. The reliability of their world. It wasn't that they lacked willpower, maybe, it was that they didn't live in a situation where a marshmallow promised 15 minutes later would be remembered, would be forthcoming.
Very cool.
Schuyler
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Some of you, many of you may know of the "marshmallow test" wherein a child was placed in a room with a marshmallow and told if they could go without eating the marshmallow for 15 minutes they would get two, or something. Those children who were able to wait where shown to have better outcomes later on in life. Their willpower proved to be a powerful tool for gaining them success. This follow up study, this new twist seems to suggest that the marshmallow test was actually capturing a different variable then willpower, it was capturing the reliability of adults in their lives. The reliability of their world. It wasn't that they lacked willpower, maybe, it was that they didn't live in a situation where a marshmallow promised 15 minutes later would be remembered, would be forthcoming.
Very cool.
Schuyler
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Vicki Dennis
I like the story in the comments about the child saving the jellybeans to
trade for brother's cake. I could empathize since I NEVER ate plain
marshmallows as a child. Not even those Easter bunnies and chicks or Lucky
Charms. Melted on a s'more or in hot chocolate or in rice krispy
treats,yes, but not the white blob. Yuck.
Seems reasonable to me that varying the temptation and reward needed to fit
the child might be as useful as considering just what was being measured.
Wonder where these particular "researchers" learned their methodology.
vicki
trade for brother's cake. I could empathize since I NEVER ate plain
marshmallows as a child. Not even those Easter bunnies and chicks or Lucky
Charms. Melted on a s'more or in hot chocolate or in rice krispy
treats,yes, but not the white blob. Yuck.
Seems reasonable to me that varying the temptation and reward needed to fit
the child might be as useful as considering just what was being measured.
Wonder where these particular "researchers" learned their methodology.
vicki
On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 7:08 PM, Schuyler <s.waynforth@...>wrote:
> **
>
>
> Bob Collier posted this on facebook:
> http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/12/marshmallow-ology-why-wait-when-the-better-treat-might-never-arrive/ and
> it's a beautiful piece of the puzzle of why unschooled children seem to not
> be gorging themselves on special things, food or video games or whatever it
> is. It is a beautiful examination of why it is adaptive not to wait.
>
> Some of you, many of you may know of the "marshmallow test" wherein a
> child was placed in a room with a marshmallow and told if they could go
> without eating the marshmallow for 15 minutes they would get two, or
> something. Those children who were able to wait where shown to have better
> outcomes later on in life. Their willpower proved to be a powerful tool for
> gaining them success. This follow up study, this new twist seems to suggest
> that the marshmallow test was actually capturing a different variable then
> willpower, it was capturing the reliability of adults in their lives. The
> reliability of their world. It wasn't that they lacked willpower, maybe, it
> was that they didn't live in a situation where a marshmallow promised 15
> minutes later would be remembered, would be forthcoming.
>
> Very cool.
>
> Schuyler
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]