4B: Asking Myself

After watching "Don't Eat the Marshmellow" I had many questions about if this test was actually accurate.  If a child eats the marshmellow before the 15 minutes are up does that really mean that they won't be as successful in life as the children who did not eat the marshmellow and waited?  

In my opinion I don't think that the marshmellow test is an accurate test to predict the child's future.  Most children probably wouldn't wait for the marshmellow and if they did wait, maybe they didn't even like marshmallows in the first place.  The video and article said that the children who waited to eat the marshmellow had higher SAT scores and were just overall more successful in life.  I do not think that this was an accurate test.  After reading "Just Let Them Eat The Marshmellow" I found out that not all the kids from the original experiment were tracked down later in life.  Therefore the results wouldn't be correct.  Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman both agreed "its a ridiculous way of predicting their future achievement" and I couldn't agree more. I think that delayed gratification and patience are learned in life and can be improved.  Just because a child couldn't wait they were 4 years old doesn't mean they won't be successful in future years.  That is like saying someone will never change and that isn't true.  If a person goes through life practicing patience and challenges themselves to succeed they will learn these things.  Just because they were one way as a child does not mean they can't be different in their future.  Every one has the potential to grow and improve as a person.  Being one way doesn't mean you  will stay that way forever, there is always room for improvement!