There are several quintessential psychology experiments whose notoriety transcend beyond college Intro Psych Courses. Walter Mischel’s “Marshmallow Test,” as it became popularized as, was no exception. The seminal study gave kids a chance to wait for preferred items or demonstrate limited self-control by selecting a less-preferred option earlier. Mischel and his colleagues, as well as several follow-up studies, sought to determine the longitudinal value of their results on predicting academic and behavioral success. While initially there seemed to be a positive correlation, later examinations of the data and sample population have criticized its lack of representation to that of other factors in America such as socioeconomic status, education level, ethnicity, etc. More recent evaluations have scrutinized the same data alongside more potent environmental factors, suggesting that there might be far more to the story than simply being patient for a marshmallow in preschool.

Links for Today:

https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/the-marshmallow-test-revisited

https://www.simplypsychology.org/marshmallow-test.html

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/6/6/17413000/marshmallow-test-replication-mischel-psychology

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/marshmallow-test/561779/

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/marshmallow-test-revisited

https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/new-study-disavows-marshmallow-tests-predictive-powers/

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