A series of studies at Stanford University, beginning in 1970 with Walter Mischel and Ebbe B. Ebbesen and extended in 1972 with Antonette Zeiss, in which preschool children were left alone with one treat (often a marshmallow) and told they could eat it at once or wait about 15 minutes to receive a larger reward. The studies examined which cognitive strategies, such as covering the eyes or resting the head on the arms, helped children delay gratification.
Facts
Disputed
Key FindingThe strength of the original delay-of-gratification-to-later-outcomes link is contested once socioeconomic background is accounted for. 1 A larger, more socioeconomically diverse 2018 replication by Tyler Watts, Greg Duncan and Haonan Quan found statistically insignificant correlations with behavioral problems, and effects on other outcomes that were smaller than in the original studies and shrank further once early cognitive ability, family background and home environment were controlled for; a 2024 study concluded the test does not reliably predict adult functioning. Key FindingIn decades-later follow-up studies, children who had waited longer for the second treat tended to show better outcomes as adults, including higher SAT scores, greater educational attainment and lower body mass index. 1 Method
Study Design Participants Connections
Conducted By
Source Wikipedia: Stanford marshmallow experiment
In Branch
Source Wikipedia: Stanford marshmallow experiment
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Stanford marshmallow experiment
Wikimedia FoundationWho Conducted It and Experimental Procedure
some children covered their eyes with their hands, rested their heads on their arms, and found other similar techniques
Original Findings
the rewards themselves served to increase the children's frustration and ultimately decreased the delay of gratification.
Follow-up Studies
were lower than in the original experiment and reduced further when controlling for early cognitive ability and behavior, family background, and home environment
Who Conducted It and When
The first experiment in delayed gratification was conducted by Walter Mischel and Ebbe B. Ebbesen at Stanford University in 1970.
Lead section
In this study, a child was offered a choice between one small, immediate reward, or two small rewards if they waited for a period of time.
lead section, study-design
In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes, as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI), and other life measures.
- Conducted By: Walter Mischel
In Branch: Developmental Psychology, Detailed procedure section
The purpose of the study was to understand when the control of delayed gratification, the ability to wait to obtain something that one wants, develops in children.
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