Delay of Gratification : the Experiments of

Walter Mischel and colleagues carried out a series of experiments between 1968 and 1974 on the ability of four year-old children attending a nursery school to delay gratification. The experimental paradigm involved offering each child a choice between having a treat, such as a cookie or a marshmallow, immediately, versus receiving a larger treat (e.g., two cookies) after an unspecified delay. In a plain room, the experimenter would seat the child at a table with the first treat and a bell, explaining that he had to go out for a while, but the child could ring the bell at any time to call him back in and could then eat the treat. Alternatively, if the child preferred, he could stay seated at the table until the experimenter returned (generally after 15 minutes) and would then get the larger treat. The dependent variable was the duration of delayed gratification. The children were observed and the ways they tried to distract themselves from the temptation were recorded; successive experiments tested various independent variables such as whether the treat was in plain view or concealed and whether the child was advised on ways to distract him or her from the dilemma. While the core experimental results concerned delay of gratification under varying experimental circumstances, the result of interest here is that the children were recontacted at several intervals during their adolescence and adulthood. Their length of delay at age four was then compared against subsequent academic success, intelligence, social competence, coping ability, drug use and marital happiness.