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by luketheobscure 687 days ago
An alternative interpretation of the Marshmallow Test is that it is a measurement of trust as much as it is of self control. If you don't believe that the researchers are going to give you the two marshmallows, then you're not going to wait.
4 comments

And low trust in researchers would explain low incentive for academic achievements. ;)
Seems like this needs repeated test. Where for a few first rounds there is no reward for later...
Or, that it's complete nonsense with no predictability whatsoever so you can make of it what you want
I suspect (or hope) that many professional psychologists are beginning to doubt that data acquired in these contrived laboratory settings can provide a window into actual human behavior at all.
Could be completely random how the kid feels that day and how much they like marshmallows in the first place.
or a second marshmallow isn't all that appealing. if offer one now or two later i might pick one now because i don't want two.