The marshmallow test experiment and how it affected sat scores and education levels and how it is related to causes of behaviour

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:Psychology

Document 1

This study also looked at their attribution and Controllability as defined by Weiner and Anderson. Further this study looked a detailed literature on the essence of marshmallow test experiment in today`s life and how it influences success in future life. Ultimately, this study looked at delayed gratification and its power to influence people`s life in attaining academic and life goals without distraction by easy tasks which provide instant gratification at the expense of higher rewards in future. Introduction:  The Marshmallow study is about self-control and how it’s related to causes of behavior, (Wiseman, 2018). During the late 1960s and early 1970s, a psychologist named Walter Mischel started a series of experiments on delayed gratification. This study tries to explain an incidence where a preschool is subjected to making two critical decisions; if given the chance they will opt to take one marshmallow now or to exercise patience and eat two marshmallows in future or after some time.

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(Wiseman, 2018), this study has been used as a representation of a classical example of measuring self-control in children and the ability to exercise patience in circumstances of delayed gratification. Marshmallow experiment takes effect under two conditions; reliable and unreliable conditions. Reliable conditions happens when the environment for exercising patience in delayed gratification can promise the better future results with certainty. On the other hand, unreliable conditions are those conditions where a child will forgo future gratification and opt to eat one marshmallow at the expense of eating two if they waited a little to eat two after some time, (Wiseman, 2018), research has shown that in most cases, many children will be tempted to take one marshmallow now and forget about the future benefit of waiting for some time to eat two later.

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However, along the way, there is a strong evidence that the choices made by infants are rational in nature according to different environmental circumstances one is subjected to, (Markowitz, et al, 2017). Research according to Walter Mischel the differences people showed in delayed gratification on the very minor tasks or events had a close firmly correlation to the achievements those people attained in future, (Markowitz, et al, 2017). Those children who exercised longer wait periods, later they were associated with higher SAT scores. Additionally, these children were associated with great abilities on social skills, and less indulgence in substance abuse. As a result of this strong correlation between delayed gratification and success in future, the marshmallow experiment has been of utility in relating emotional intelligence as well as self-control in people`s ability to explore higher heights of success for people.

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It therefore apparent the power of delayed gratification has greater influence on children SAT scores, future life success and their sociability as well as emotional intelligence. Creating a promising environment was found to largely influence children`s ability to hold for a longer period in order to earn better rewards in future, (Markowitz, et al, 2017). The power of delayed gratification Children who were subjected to unreliable circumstances and unstable environment had little believe on if upon waiting a little longer they would receive better rewards with certainty. The same thing reflects in peoples` live lives as far as making critical decisions that require longer period to materialize or mature or even show benefits. People who are risk averse are always reluctant to exercise self-control and patience in circumstances that require them to do so.

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In a nutshell, delayed gratification can be defined as the success or pleasure attained as a result of opting for the pain of discipline at the expense of ease or comfort of distraction. Delayed gratification requires people to exercise self-discipline by forgoing present pleasures which ultimately leads to better future rewards. It is the ability to take the risk of waiting for undefined future, bearing the uncertainty of missing out on that future promise if all doesn’t go well, (Carlson, et al, 2018). The importance of delayed gratification is therefore that it enables people to stick to their goals by resisting present temptations to take on smaller rewards. This special ability to resist this temptation is known as willpower or self-control.

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The final strategy to improve delayed gratification would be to learn how to get started in 2 minutes or so. Ideally, all people can do the same thing the same way as long as people can train to improve on their abilities and learned attitudes. Delayed gratification is something all people can learn and embrace on their daily lives in order to optimize future rewards, (Carlson, et al, 2018). Data/Methods In the experiments, children between the ages of 4 and 6 were placed in a room with a treat a marshmallow or cookie. Before leaving the room, the experimenter told each child that they would receive a second treat if the first treat was still on the table after 15 minutes. Improving children’s ability to delay gratification can train them to be more self-controlled of their upcoming life decisions, I suggest including some methods in schools like The Marshmallow Test Experiment to train children to be more self-controlled and that can build a better generation.

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