o cooperate effectively, both in small-scale interactions and large-scale collective-action problems, people frequently have to delay gratification (i.e., resist short-term temptations in favor of joint long-term goals). Although delay-of- gratification skills are commonly considered critical in children’s social-cognitive development, they have rarely been studied in the context of cooperative decision-making. In the current study, we therefore presented pairs of children (N = 207 individuals) with a modified version of the famous marshmallow test, in which children’s outcomes were interdependently linked such that the children were rewarded only if both members of the pair delayed gratification. Children from two highly diverse cultures (Germany and Kenya) performed substantially better than they did on a standard version of the test, suggesting that children are more willing to delay gratification for cooperative than for individual goals. The results indicate that from early in life, human children are psychologically equipped to respond to social interdependencies in ways that facilitate cooperative success. 1. What is/are the article’s hypothesis/hypotheses? 2. What are the study’s independent variable(s)? What makes it the independent variable? 3. What are the study’s dependent variable(s)? What makes it the dependent variable?
Abstract
To cooperate effectively, both in small-scale interactions and large-scale collective-action problems, people frequently have to delay gratification (i.e., resist short-term temptations in favor of joint long-term goals). Although delay-of- gratification skills are commonly considered critical in children’s social-cognitive development, they have rarely been studied in the context of cooperative decision-making. In the current study, we therefore presented pairs of children (N = 207 individuals) with a modified version of the famous marshmallow test, in which children’s outcomes were interdependently linked such that the children were rewarded only if both members of the pair delayed gratification. Children from two highly diverse cultures (Germany and Kenya) performed substantially better than they did on a standard version of the test, suggesting that children are more willing to delay gratification for cooperative than for individual goals. The results indicate that from early in life, human children are psychologically equipped to respond to social interdependencies in ways that facilitate cooperative success.
1. What is/are the article’s hypothesis/hypotheses?
2. What are the study’s independent variable(s)? What makes it the independent variable?
3. What are the study’s dependent variable(s)? What makes it the dependent variable?
After reading the given abstract, it can be seen that the article has the following major hypothesis.
- To check whether there is a change in the delay of gratification because of the cooperative element.
The article mentions the original marshmallow tests where children were given a marshmallow if they delayed gratification. In this modified experiment, the children are paired up and given a marshmallow each only if both of them delay gratification.
In this case, the children in a pair would have to cooperate with each other to maximise their returns.
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