Young children can pass the marshmallow test as a team if they promise to help each other

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-05-07 09:01

International

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Young children are more likely to cooperate in a delayed gratification test if they have a teammate who promises to hold up their end of the bargain, according to international research. The Stanford Marshmallow test - designed to test a child's understanding of delayed gratification - involves leaving a young child alone with a treat, and telling them they will get more treats if they can refrain from eating the one right in front of them before their guardian returns. The researchers built on this experiment with a small group of 5-6 year olds, telling them they had a partner their age, and both children would get more treats if neither touched the one in front of them. The researchers say if the child's partner promised not to eat their treat, the children were more likely to wait compared to when the partner said they might eat their treat.

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From:

Does promising facilitate childrens delay of gratification in interdependent contexts?
Royal Society Open Science

In the famous Stanford marshmallow test, children often experience difficulty with delaying gratification. In the current study, we asked 1) whether this classic marshmallow paradigm could be adapted for an online audience, and 2) whether playing alongside a peer partner who promised not to eat his treat (e.g., marshmallow) increased children’s propensity to delay gratification. When the recipients of a promise, 5- to 6-year-olds waited longer and delayed gratification more successfully than children for which their partner expressed that he might consume his treat. Explicit promises can thus support children’s motivation to delay gratification relative to explicit uncertainty.

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Journal/
conference: Royal Society Open Science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco

Funder: No funding has been received for this article.

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