Walter Mischel's Experiment On Self-Control And Behavior

Willpower of Children Have you put any thought into your self-control and behavior? Walter Mischel conducted an experiment with children to test their willpower. This experiment challenged children by seeing if they could wait to get an extra marshmallow rather than getting one right away. Mischel was trying to connect their behavior with their success later in life. The experiment was fairly simple. Walter tested nearly 600 four year olds. He would bring the child into a small room. This room had nothing but a table with a bell on it, and a marshmallow. He told the child that they could eat the marshmallow right then and there, or if they waited fifteen minutes, they could have two to eat. Also, if they couldn’t wait the whole time all they had to do was ring the bell and they could have the marshmallow, but wouldn’t receive a second one. Most kids wanted to wait. Mischel said, “A few kids ate the marshmallow right away,” (Source 1) and wouldn’t even give the bell a chance. Some children started to try to distract themselves. They were covering their eyes, standing in the corner, kicking the desk, tugging on their hair, or touching the marshmallow trying their hardest to resist. “Resistance …show more content…
He contacted them when they were in high-school. Mischel sent out a survey to the parents and teachers of the students who took part in the experiment. The survey had multiple questions about the behavior of the teenagers such as their temper, challenges they’ve came across, and if they got along with their peers. He also asked for their SAT scores. In result, the children who couldn’t wait the whole time, had more behavioral problems and struggled in stressful situations. They also had a difficult time paying attention in class and had a bad temper. The child who had waited for the two marshmallows, on average, scored 210 points higher than the other kid who couldn’t