Why the Mighty Marshmallow Test CAN'T Predict Your Future

Рет қаралды 751

Күн бұрын

Dive into the World of the Marshmallow Test! 🍬 | The Surprising Truth Revealed! Ever wondered if a single marshmallow could predict your future? Join Eric Vanman, a social neuroscientist from the University of Queensland, as he unravels the mysteries of the iconic Marshmallow Test. From its origins at Stanford University in the 1960s to its implications on our adult lives, we explore it all!
📌 In this video:
* The history of the Marshmallow Test 📜
* What it does (and doesn't) predict about your future 🤔
* The role of self-control, trust, and cultural factors 🌍
* Adult "marshmallow tests" and their real-world implications 💼
👍 Like, share, and subscribe for more deep dives into the fascinating world of psychology!
#MarshmallowTest #Psychology #SelfControl
📘 Resources:
For evidence that delay of gratification is linked to other life outcomes:
1. Scored higher on standardized tests:
Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Peake, P. K. (1988). The nature of adolescent competencies predicted by preschool delay of gratification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(4), 687-696.
2. Were more likely to have better educational outcomes:
Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Rodriguez, M. L. (1989). Delay of gratification in children. Science, 244(4907), 933-938.
3. Had lower levels of substance abuse:
Ayduk, O., Mendoza-Denton, R., Mischel, W., Downey, G., Peake, P. K., & Rodriguez, M. (2000). Regulating the interpersonal self: strategic self-regulation for coping with rejection sensitivity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(5), 776.
4. Had better measures of health:
Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H., ... & Sears, M. R. (2011). A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 2693-2698.
5. Were better at handling stress:
Seeyave, D. M., Coleman, S., Appugliese, D., Corwyn, R. F., Bradley, R. H., Davidson, N. S., ... & Lumeng, J. C. (2009). Ability to delay gratification at age 4 years and risk of overweight at age 11 years. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 163(4), 303-308.
6. Had better social skills, as reported by their parents:
Shoda, Y., Mischel, W., & Peake, P. K. (1990). Predicting adolescent cognitive and self-regulatory competencies from preschool delay of gratification: Identifying diagnostic conditions. Developmental Psychology, 26(6), 978.
FAILURES TO REPLICATE:
1. Benjamin, DJ., Laibson, D., Mischel, W., Peake, PK., Shoda, Y., Steiny Wellsjo, A., & Wilson, N.L. (2020). Predicting mid-life capital formation with pre-school delay of gratification and life-course measures of self-regulation. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 179, 743-756. doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2019.0...
2. Watts, T. W., Duncan, G. J., & Quan, H. (2018). Revisiting the Marshmallow Test: A Conceptual Replication Investigating Links Between Early Delay of Gratification and Later Outcomes. Psychological Science, 29(7), 1159-1177. doi.org/10.1177/0956797618761661
CULTURE & DELAY OF GRATIFICATION
Yanaoka, K., Michaelson, L. E., Guild, R. M., Dostart, G., Yonehiro, J., Saito, S., & Munakata, Y. (2022). Cultures Crossing: The Power of Habit in Delaying Gratification. Psychological Science, 33(7), 1172-1181. doi.org/10.1177/0956797622107...
📣 Connect with Me:
LinkedIn: / eric-vanman-041a0717
Instagram: @socialneuro
Threads @socialneuro
About Eric Vanman:
Eric Vanman is a seasoned psychologist with a rich history in research, particularly in the field of facial electromyography. His dedication to the field of psychology extends beyond research, encompassing a deep commitment to teaching and mentorship. Through his tenure at the University of Queensland, he has fostered a nurturing environment for students, encouraging them to delve deep into psychological science, and nurturing the next generation of researchers.

Пікірлер: 23

@Steve8864 8 ай бұрын

As someone who has done first year Psychology I always thought there was too much weight put on the marshmellow test and some other experiments - e.g. the did you see the gorilla in the background? test. Interesting that a follow up with the original children found that correlation, I wonder what other factors are at play to produce such a correlation that maybe were outside of the scope of the marshmellow test? Is being able to delay gratification a great life skill to have - why, and to what extent, I wonder? If you delay too much do you reach the territory of procrastination? Thanks for the video 😉

@meenki347 23 күн бұрын

It's funny, I showed my daughter a video on the Marshmellow Test when she was 6 years old. It didn't mention any possible errors. But all the same, she just took it as true and applied it. Now, she's top of her class, works to make and save her own money, while making time for friends and computer time. She just accepted it as true and integrated patience and hard work in her value system. Perhaps, I inadvertently propagandized her? Because I would hear her mention the Marshmellow Test to her friends, "Have you heard of the Marshmellow Test"? When kids hear "Marshmellow" anything, their ears perk up. But I taught her other things to make her feel extra smart too. She thought herself quite clever to ask other girls and boys in her friend group, "Do you know what "pie" is? It's Three point one four. She would rattle off", when they said, "No". And all the adults would say, "Yes" and "How smart", etc. Of course, other grade school kids had no idea what pi was any more than my daughter did. But she felt quite satisfied to feel smart. I saw no need to bore her with irrelevant details for her age. I was happy to instill a simple joy in being smart. I have a lot of teaching techniques that I invented. I'll tell you 2, but I have a dozen teaching hacks. My neighbor was a Dominican single mother who could not speak English. Her oldest son was in jail for selling heroin. She had two younger sons that were friends of my son. The older of the 2 was a little tough guy who, though polite in my presence, looked like he could go the same way as his older brother. One day, he came to my door and asked if I could help him with his homework sheet? He literally couldn't do anything. I helped him and said, "Come everyday". Then one day we decided to stop, he had been doing his homework perfectly for two weeks. He was at the bottom of his class and had the attitude and body language of a little thug when we started. In 6 months, he had gone to the top of his class and adopted the posture of a responsible and dignified gentleman. It was an amazing transformation. I thought to myself. Of course, rich people have tutors. And if they gave tutors to the poor, the rich might be out of a job. I didn't invent tutoring. But I did invent free mass tutoring of the poor. Think of the benefits. I've come to the conclusion that Modern education is all wrong. Frankly, it's still guided with vestiges of the structures, of the hopelessly archaic Medieval University. The first thing should be to instill a passion for reading. Because once you do that, the kids just take off by themselves. I'm convinced that forcing a child to read is just going to make them hate it. My daughter would sit next to me while I read, The Diary of a Whimpey Kid, both of us laughing like mad. It's funny for both kids and adults, which certainly helps. But I would point at the words as I read too. Then one day, she asked if she could read it herself? I would correct a word here and there. Then she read it perfectly. She learned how to read, just by looking at the letters as I read. So, she eventually asked if she could read it by herself in her own room? Of course, she loves to read now. My son graduated a decade ago and is very successful. No complaints here. I just feel sorry for all those kids being left behind by modern educators, like the blind leading the blind.

@theslayer789 3 күн бұрын

you seem like a great mom, good job on helping your neighbor's son

@alexandrel3804 8 ай бұрын

My first issue with the test is the idea the subjects want two marshmallows. If it was me in the room, I would eat it, because one is enough. Also, Ebbe B. Ebbesen is obviously a fake name 😉

@socialneuro 8 ай бұрын

I do think they always made sure that each subject wanted more to begin with-and they actually like marshmallows! I looked up Ebbesen. It looks like he was a social psychologist at UCSD but has recently died. :(

@jtuck1623 9 күн бұрын

I came up a term to desrcribe a theory of patience. I believed that the experiment tests patience, and so i came up with a theory called strategic distraction theory of patience to help us be more patient. you can observe it when you put when the kids try to distract themselves from looking at the marshmallow. I am still developing it more but I would love critique of it when I get it fully formulated.😉

@jtuck1623 9 күн бұрын

i guess i have been beat to the observation

@corysinman 8 ай бұрын

Well done Eric! ;)

@CircumlunarFeasibility 8 ай бұрын

what if i am not that hungry and one marshmallow would be just right!

@socialneuro 8 ай бұрын

They did usually test what you liked best (e.g., different cookies, pretzels) to make sure the kid was motivated!

@Robert_McGarry_Poems 8 ай бұрын

So, what you are telling me... is that growing up poor, in a family with no education or ambition, and being constantly marginalized... might have something to do with my current circumstances of being basically homeless. You don't say...

@socialneuro 8 ай бұрын

Yes, I’m constantly frustrated with how people put so much emphasis on personal qualities to explain life’s outcomes without recognising the role of luck, environment, etc. The mushroom test seemed to become a beacon for a few decades for people who wanted to believe it’s ALL about self-control and grit. :(

@Robert_McGarry_Poems 8 ай бұрын

@@socialneuro I am glad to see straight forward dialogue driven content, by people who know how to read research papers. My comment is slightly facetious, but the point is valid. Thanks for being one of the rational few.

@49skim 8 ай бұрын

When you don't see better opportunities in future, it might be a sound decision to take the one in front of you.

@tootsrr1 5 ай бұрын

A bird in the hand .....

@Robert_McGarry_Poems 5 ай бұрын

@@49skim Nah, I don't play the slavery game. I'll never work in this country again. It's a pile of steaming crap, along with most of the people. This country could disappear tomorrow and I would celebrate! Absolutely nothing about it is special. What really takes the piss, for me, is how many people are willing to be slaves and just take it up the backside every single day of their life. And then they want to be recognized for it, for ruining the next generations ability to even live a normalized life. Again, no thanks....