The Marshmallow Experiment

So the gist of this post is that I graduated with a Psychology degree and never got it out of my system I guess! Last year WCCO, a local news channel, did a spot on Walter Mischel's experiment with four year olds and marshmallows. Basically, you give a kid a marshmallow and tell them if they can wait and not eat it while you leave the room for a little bit, when you return you will give them another marshmallow and they can have two. There are all sorts of supposed long term implications for how your child handles this task, but we mostly did it for fun. Here is WCCO's video if you want the background:



And here is our little home experiment with Nathaniel. Jeff explained the situation to Nathaniel and then scurried out of the room. We then attempted to hide out of sight and keep Mary quiet so as not to disturb the experiment. You'll notice in the video at one point he hears the bag of marshmallows accidentally drop to the ground... oops! I debated posting this or not because it could seem boring to someone else, but I find it hilarious the little things he does to keep himself from eating the marshmallow. On whether or not he caves... well, you'll just have to watch to find out!