Marshmallow Test

We are well aware of the psychologists performing different tests to explore human behavior and their future consequences.  LIkely this marshmallow test is one test psychologists performed to test about the delayed gratification and consequences.  The test was done by Walter Mischel in 1972 for the first time to find out delayed gratification among children of ages 3.5 years and 5.5 years.  Walter Mischel is a professor at Stanford University.

Marshmallow is kind of sweet which children are crazy for.  It's really difficult to resist eating it when it is in front of them. So Walter has wisely chosen the marshmallow as a test material to find the real delayed gratification.

Procedure:  30 children of ages 3.5 and 4.5 were chosen for this test.  They were bought to the experimental room by the experimenter.  They were given a marshmallow and explained to them that if they did not eat it for 15 minutes till the experimenter comes back, they will be given another one to eat.  They can eat it instantly as well but they will not be given another one. Almost all the children said they would wait for 15 minutes till the experimenter comes back.  Then the experimenter leaves the place and left marshmallow and child alone in the room.

For a few minutes, children avoided the marshmallow.  But as time pass by, their temptation to eat the marshmallow is growing bigger and they have very hard time avoiding it.  Finally, lots of children had very difficult emotional times, some picked up marshmallow licked it, some ate it and some controlled it with great difficulty.

After 15 minutes the experimenter found there were very few students who had controlled gratification, i.e, who did not eat the marshmallow.   Those students who abstained to eat marshmallow were awarded the next marshmallow as promised before.

After 10 to 15 years, those students were studied about their achievement.  It was found that those students with delayed gratification were found to be more successful in their life, have good SAT scores, good jobs, good health, and good education ailment and have a better life.

So it was found that children with control over their gratification tend to be successful.