Marshmallow Experiment

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1 Marshmallow Experiment Marshmallow Experiment By: Charron Brittingham University of Phoenix PSYCH/645: Personality Theories Instructor: Dr. Christa Banton 03 December 2023

Marshmallow Experiment 2 Marshmallow Experiment Psychologist Walter Mischel who was also a professor at Stanford University, led the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment in 1972 (Stanford marshmallow experiment, 2022) . This experiment was a study on delayed gratification. In this study, children were given a choice for a small instant reward if they did not have the patience to wait or two small rewards if they could be patient and wait. Each child was left alone in with one marshmallow for about fifteen minutes or so, if they showed restraint and did not eat the marshmallow they were rewarded with an additional marshmallow. Researchers found in follow-up studies that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tend to have better outcomes in life, as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI), and other life measures (Stanford marshmallow experiment, 2022) . I recall this same study being conducted a few years ago on social media. However, I did not realize until now that it was a replica of the Marshmallow Experiment. Also, it was not called a “study”; in today’s society experimental studies are referred to as “challenges”. This one in particular was called the Fruit Snack Challenge. It involved parents placing fruit snacks, candy, or other delicious treats in front of their children and asking them to wait until they return to eat it. It was a test to see if they were able to listen to direction and control their impulses. Some children were able to control their urges and wait for their parent to return and other children gave in to those urges. Predictors of Behaviors The Dominant Perspective was a social learning theory developed by Julian B. Rotter. He believed that personality represents an interaction of the individual within their environment

Marshmallow Experiment 3 (Mearns, 2000) . According to Rotter, there are four main components to predicting model behavior. Those four components are: Behavioral Potential – the likelihood of engaging in a particular behavior for a specific situation. “For each possible behavior, there is a behavior potential” (Mearns, 2000). Expectancy – “the probability that a given behavior will lead to a particular outcome, or reinforcer” (Mearns, 2000). Reinforcement Value – this is referred to as the consequences of our behavior. “ Things we want to happen, that we are attracted to have a high reinforcement value. Things we don't want to happen, that we wish to avoid, have a low reinforcement value. If the likelihood of achieving reinforcement is the same (i.e., expectancies are equal), we will exhibit the behavior with the greatest reinforcement value, the one directed toward the outcome we prefer most” (Mearns, 2000). Predictive Formula – The predictive formula is a combination of the four behavior components. Behavior potential (BP), expectancy (E), and reinforcement value (RV) are combined to create the formula for behavior. BP = f (E & RV) Rotter believed that behavior potential is a function of expectancy and reinforcement value (Mearns, 2000) . My predictions would be that those who are younger (2 to 4 years of age) would go for instant gratification and may not be as patient as those who are older (5 to 7 years of age) who better understand the importance of obedience and will look for greater gratification. In so many words, it can be said that self-control has a lot to do with age. However, watching videos of the Fruit Snack Challenge I learned that many of those who were in the younger age group were able to control their urges the same if not better than those who were older. The experiment showed

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Marshmallow Experiment 4 that there is a greater reward when one can be patient. If I am being honest, some of them showed more restraint than most adults. Behavior Produced by Culture Each culture and background have their own set of rules and values. I was raised in a culture where respecting adults was a must. If an adult asked you to do something (within reason of course), you did it and there was no talking back. Obedience and good manners were instilled in me, and I made sure to instill those same characteristics in my children. In a way I believe the parents are to praise for those children who were able to show restraint, but that is not always the case. Children can come from the same household and while they may have the same mannerisms and background, they can be completely different when it comes to their personalities. One child may be able to show great restraint while the other lacks patience. Delayed Gratification and Rewards Delayed gratification as it relates to the Marshmallow Experiment is that those children who waited received two marshmallows at the end of the experiment while the children who did not wait only received one. While delayed gratification always presents the greater reward, it also sucks because it temporarily places one in the space of the unknown. Meaning, you have no idea what the outcome is going to be, so you have to have faith and trust the process in order to receive the great reward. The issue with this is that it is hard to trust the process when instant gratification is right at your fingertips. Speaking for myself and being human, patience is truly a virtue that I did not always possess; so, I cannot imagine the restraint it took for younger children during this experiment. The Marshmallow Experiment showed how great the outcome could be when patience and self-control present. Waiting can be rough, but it is truly worth it in the end.

Marshmallow Experiment 5 Conclusion I am sure that the children who went with instant gratification over delayed gratification during Walter Mischel’s experiment where not very happy when they saw that the delicious treat, they could not wait to have was doubled for those children that were able to exhibit self-control. We can only hope that even at that young of an age, those who choose instant gratification will remember how it felt when they saw the reward double for those who waited for delayed gratification. To store that encounter in their memory bank as a learning experience, apply it to their lives as they get older, and use it as a reminder to trust the process and be patient, is the real success story to the Marshmallow Experiment.

Marshmallow Experiment 6 References Mearns, J. (2000). The Social Learning Theory of Julian B Rotter. Cal State Fullerton . Stanford marshmallow experiment . (2022, February). Wikipedia.

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