The Marshmallow Test

This morning we decided to conduct an experiment with Megan as the subject called The Marshmallow Test.

This experiment was first performed in the 1960s where children were given a single marshmallow. Although the child was allowed to eat the marshmallow immediately, he/she was told that resisting the temptation until the experimenter returned to the room would reward them with a second marshmallow. The idea was to test delayed gratification: a child's ability to control their behavior based on future expectations. When the test subjects were studied later in life they found that those children who could not resist eating the first marshmallow were more likely to have behavioral and academic problems, lower SAT scores, and struggled in stressful situations. The theory is that a lack of self-control led to all of these problems.

So this morning we experimented on Megan.

Daddy: [Placing marshmallow in front of Megan] Megan, you can eat this marshmallow.
Megan: [Reaches for marshmallow]
Daddy: Wait!! If you can wait 10 minutes you can have another marshmallow!
Megan: No Daddy, how about if I wait 10 minutes I can have two more marshmallows!

(Note: negotiation skills are technically out of the scope of this experiment)

So we set the timer for 10 minutes. We didn't insist she wait at the table, but she did return periodically to ask us if the time was up. After 10 minutes the timer beeped and Megan at her three marshmallows.