Imagine that you were invited to participate in Walter Mischel’s experiment called the “marshmallow test” when you were a child (age 3, 4, or 5). Predict how you would have responded (at age 3, 4, or 5) to the marshmallow test (which used different candies, crackers, and snacks, not just marshmallows).
The marshmallow test, a classic psychological experiment conducted by Walter Mischel in the 1960s, aimed to assess children’s ability to delay gratification. In this study, children were placed in a room and presented with a tempting treat, such as a marshmallow, cookie, or snack. They were then given a choice: they could eat the treat immediately or wait for a specified time period, usually around 15 minutes, in exchange for receiving a second treat. The primary goal of the experiment was to explore whether children’s ability to delay gratification was related to their future success in life.
If I had been invited to participate in the marshmallow test as a child, it is challenging to predict my exact response, as individual differences play a significant role in how children tackle this type of task. However, based on my understanding of child development and personal characteristics, I would tentatively hypothesize that my response would have varied depending on my age, with the likelihood of waiting increasing as I grew older.
At the age of three, I would most likely have struggled to delay gratification and would have succumbed to the immediate temptation of the treat. This is because children at this age are still in the early stages of developing self-control and impulse regulation skills. They are driven by immediate desires and lack the cognitive resources to consider the long-term consequences of their actions. Thus, the allure of the treat would have been too strong for me to resist, leading me to indulge in the immediate gratification rather than waiting for a larger reward.
By the age of four, I may have shown some improvement in delaying gratification compared to when I was three. At this stage of development, children begin to develop a better understanding of the concept of time and have a slightly improved capacity to control their impulses. However, the ability to wait for future rewards would still be relatively limited. While I might have been able to exercise some self-control and delay gratification for a short period, it is unlikely that I would have been able to resist the temptation for the full duration of the experiment.
If I had been five years old during the marshmallow test, it is plausible that I would have shown more self-control and delayed gratification to a greater extent than at earlier ages. By this age, children have made significant progress in their cognitive and emotional development, enabling them to consider future outcomes and regulate their impulses to a greater degree. I could have understood the trade-off between the immediate pleasure of eating the treat and the potential for a more substantial reward by waiting. Therefore, I might have been more inclined to wait for the specified time, as the prospect of receiving an additional treat would have outweighed the immediate desire for instant gratification.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that these are speculative predictions based on general developmental trends and do not take into account the influence of individual differences and contextual factors that could have affected my behavior. Each child has their own unique temperament and background, which can impact their ability to delay gratification. Additionally, the specific environment in which the experiment takes place, including the presence of other stimuli or distractions, may also influence a child’s decision-making process.