Testing with Marshmallows

Today there is much ado in the world of education about tests. To test or not to test? Standardized or localized? And the impact on teacher pay?

No, we're not going to get into that. Instead, we're interested in revisiting one of our favorite tests - the marshmallow test.

The marshmallow test was conceived almost 40 years ago by Professor Walter Mischel at Stanford University. Mischel was interested in studying a person's ability to delay gratification. In 1972 he designed a fascinating experiment. He studied a group of four-year-old children, each of whom was given one marshmallow, but promised two on condition that he or she wait twenty minutes, before eating the first marshmallow. Some children were able to wait the twenty minutes, and some were unable to wait. The study gave the researchers some insight on the psychology of self-control.

At first, Mischel believed he had gained a better understanding of the development of delayed gratification as it related to the age of a person. He looked at the relationship between age and ability to demonstrate self-control. He published his results and went on to study other things.

But years later he made an amazing discovery.

Mischel's daughters knew many of the test subjects and still had some contact with them. As these children became teens and young adults Mischel discovered an interesting correlation between his marshmallow test and the success of those participants. Sixteen years after tempting children with marshmallows, Mischel dusted off his records, asking this question: if we divide these individuals into two groups, those who demonstrated willpower and those who did not, can we discern a difference in these groups years later?

Oh yes!

The first follow-up study, in 1988, showed that "preschool children who delayed gratification longer in the self-imposed delay paradigm, were described more than 10 years later by their parents as adolescents who were significantly more competent." A second follow-up study, in 1990, showed that the ability to delay gratification also correlated with higher SAT scores. (this second study was done by Shoda and Mischel and is available online as a PDF file).

Other researchers have designed studies along these lines and have verified and expanded upon Mischel's work. Terrie Moffitt, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and B.J. Casey, professor of developmental psychobiology at Cornell University have both examined "low delayers." Do children who cannot wait to get a treat show an inability to exert self-control in adulthood, or does their self-discipline fail them only in certain situations? Results showed "that high delayers have better mental brakes, while low delayers are driven by a stronger engine."

Both Moffitt and Casey stress that low delayers don't lack intelligence. These people have many qualities that are important to society. Sometimes, they note, delaying gratification is a mistake. People who follow their emotional impulses can become great explorers or entrepreneurs. (Apple's Steve Jobs is a classic example).

But low delayers can get into serious trouble. Moffitt describes one such participant who told her, "Believe me, I understand all about saving for retirement, but I haven't saved any money because when I see a hot motorcycle, I buy it!" Read more about this study here.

The take-away for educators? Students able to demonstrate self-control will likely be better students as they work their way up to the higher grades. Better grades. Better behavior. "More competent."

Yes, teaching math facts, reading, language, geography are all important. But teaching self-control and will-power might be even more important. So how does one teach self-control?

Resources for educators:

• The National Association of School Psychologists:
  Self-control is an important skill for all children to learn. The skill of self-control will allow children to know that the right thing to do is to be tolerant of others despite differences. If students are taught self-control at an early age, then they will feel better about the choices that they do make.
  
  This PDF file contains a number of specific activities for teachers.



• Martin Henley, Teaching Self-Control: A Curriculum Guide for Responsible Behavior:
  Teaching Self-Control: A Curriculum for Responsible Behavior seeks to answer this question: What is a teacher to do when confronted with students who lack basic social skills for controlling their behavior and getting along with others? The solution is simple and direct: Teachers can do what they do best, teach. The same skills that teachers bring to mathematics, reading, and science can be incorporated into a social skills curriculum that builds self-control.
  
  The NEA recently interviewed Martin Henley. The summary is here.
  
  His book is available at Amazon.com.



• NPR did a show on self-control:
  Self-control keeps us from eating a whole bag of chips or from running up the credit card. A new study says that self-control makes the difference between getting a good job or going to jail - and we learn it in preschool. Read more at their website.



• Advantage Press:
  We have developed a series of "Good Choice" Learning Packets designed to help students learn to "think before they act." These packets include such topics as "Telling the Truth," "Name Calling" and "I Didn't Realize." For more information search the key word "good choice" at LearningPackets.com.