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Marshmallow Test (lemmus.org)
submitted 2 months ago by sundray@lemmus.org to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world
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[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev 5 points 2 months ago

Such a silly experiment. You're gonna make them sit and be bored for five minutes with nothing else to do besides thinking about two marshmallows?

[-] Kamsaa@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

This is a cognitive task aiming to assess whether kids can trade a small reward now for a bigger one later (it tests inhibitory control and ability to project oneself in the future). This experiment was conducted by comparative psychologists and, if I recall well, they also compared the kid's performance to that of some primates to understand the evolution of the human mind.

[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev 1 points 2 months ago

I get that, I'm just pointing out that depending on how it was conducted it may have been silly. Sort of similar to that test where there's nothing in a room but a button that shocks you and people got bored and shocked themselves. I'm not suggesting the study is invalid, I assume the researchers know better than me, but I could also see something like a kid just sitting at a table with literally nothing to do but salivate about the thought of two treats for a time period. Seems like a better test would be something like letting kids play and then doing this (which could've been what was done. It's just that the comic seems to imply otherwise.)

this post was submitted on 09 May 2025
498 points (100.0% liked)

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