The marshmallow test was an excellent predictor of future success. Not because it measures self-control, but because it measures family wealth.
The kids who “failed” the test had adults in their lives that made promises they couldn’t keep. They said “maybe we’ll get you that thing you want, when my next paycheck comes” and then the paycheck never came.
So when adults told them “you can eat this marshmallow in front of you — one that actually exists — or you can wait for two that you’ll just have to trust me on”, they understandably called bullshit on that.
The original marshmallow experiment is so popular to cite because it is a “just so story” – that is, as typically explained, it presents a moral lesson that seems intuitively obvious. That’s one reason the result stood for so long without attempts to reproduce it.
Such attempts have now been made, and no one can reproduce the reported clarity of the original. One interpretation of this is related to the wealth of the families involved: the original subjects were, after all, children of Stanford University students, and as such came from families of relative wealth.
There are studies which reach the conclusion you’re reporting (likely popularized by this Atlantic article but it’s paywalled so I can’t check), but the way you present this as a “fun fact” is turning the test into a different “just so story”.
The reality is that, while there are some stats gathered from the marshmallow test and followups that could be interpreted that way, the actual data gathered is too messy and inconclusive to draw any definitive conclusions.
I take your point, but I’ll offer a couple other things to consider:
All social science findings are, to at least some degree, propaganda1. Everything about them is steeped in social influence, and they only make sense in context of a given society.
That’s why I think the socio-economic finding is actually more true than the delayed gratification finding. It broadens the scope of the considered influences, beyond the individual.
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1 I say this with respect. Because here I am, doing propaganda. Seriously. I don’t like how our society acts like individuals have immutable traits and the world sorts them fairly according to their evaluated worth. Meritocracy is a joke, and we’d all be better off to consider material conditions and moral luck.
76% of Republicans support a dictatorship is what it says.
Not only that, but the same document that was protecting the rights of the people being illegally deported, is what protects those Republicans rights as well. Free speech, press, arms, privacy, jury, fair trial, and more. 78% are saying they would wave their rights to a dictator. It’s extremely short sighted
Unless 76% of Republicans makes up 18% of Americans, they got some ‘splainin’ to do.
“Presidents should obey court orders. But not my president, and not those court orders!”
Guys, what the fuck did you think was being discussed?
They failed the marshmallow test as children.
Fun fact:
The marshmallow test was an excellent predictor of future success. Not because it measures self-control, but because it measures family wealth.
The kids who “failed” the test had adults in their lives that made promises they couldn’t keep. They said “maybe we’ll get you that thing you want, when my next paycheck comes” and then the paycheck never came.
So when adults told them “you can eat this marshmallow in front of you — one that actually exists — or you can wait for two that you’ll just have to trust me on”, they understandably called bullshit on that.
The original marshmallow experiment is so popular to cite because it is a “just so story” – that is, as typically explained, it presents a moral lesson that seems intuitively obvious. That’s one reason the result stood for so long without attempts to reproduce it.
Such attempts have now been made, and no one can reproduce the reported clarity of the original. One interpretation of this is related to the wealth of the families involved: the original subjects were, after all, children of Stanford University students, and as such came from families of relative wealth.
There are studies which reach the conclusion you’re reporting (likely popularized by this Atlantic article but it’s paywalled so I can’t check), but the way you present this as a “fun fact” is turning the test into a different “just so story”.
The reality is that, while there are some stats gathered from the marshmallow test and followups that could be interpreted that way, the actual data gathered is too messy and inconclusive to draw any definitive conclusions.
I got it from You Are Not So Smart, but yes — same study.
I take your point, but I’ll offer a couple other things to consider:
All social science findings are, to at least some degree, propaganda1. Everything about them is steeped in social influence, and they only make sense in context of a given society.
That’s why I think the socio-economic finding is actually more true than the delayed gratification finding. It broadens the scope of the considered influences, beyond the individual.
—
1 I say this with respect. Because here I am, doing propaganda. Seriously. I don’t like how our society acts like individuals have immutable traits and the world sorts them fairly according to their evaluated worth. Meritocracy is a joke, and we’d all be better off to consider material conditions and moral luck.
They put a ruler under their pillow to see how long they sleep.
76% of Republicans support a dictatorship is what it says.
Not only that, but the same document that was protecting the rights of the people being illegally deported, is what protects those Republicans rights as well. Free speech, press, arms, privacy, jury, fair trial, and more. 78% are saying they would wave their rights to a dictator. It’s extremely short sighted
It never occurs to them that rules apply to them
If those 18% was all republicans, that would come out to 66% of all republicans.
No surprise that 10% of republicans are liars, really.
a mix of liars, too dumb to understand what’s going on, and bootlickers who will do anything their daddy dom tells them to do