So I recently heard about this test as a way to measure patience as well as instant gratification. They say that the kids who wait often have higher SAT scores and successful careers. I didn't have any marshmallows around so I used a whopper. I had kevin set the candy in front of Xander and Mason, explain the rules and then leave the room. I watched as Xander didn't touch his... he looked at it it often but just left it alone. Mason was a different story. He was touching, sniffing, licking, looking around and tormented by the waiting. Well at one point Mason went as far as putting the candy in his mouth. When Xander saw this he yelled at Mason "don't you want another one"? Mason felt ashamed he had been caught and started to cry because he was worried he would not get the second whopper. I told Xander I was proud of him for waiting so patiently which made Mason cry even more. Kevin came back and Mason was pleading his case immediately. He said, "you told me not to eat it and I didn't"! They both got another whopper. So what dos this test mean to me? First of all, Xander DOES understand instructions and will follow them if he feels the need. I thought he would be too young to grasp the cause and effect. I think Xander may be more compliant to rules and authority figures. I think Mason will tow the line a bit more. He may question rules and authority figures and try to manipulate situations to get what he wants. My boys are both very smart and I do believe that they will both be successful. It was just so funny to me how this played out! It gave me a little more insight on their personalities and how I'm going to have to parent them differently. Try it out and tell me what your kids do! :)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
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4 comments:
Cherie! That video was the funniest thing and also the saddest thing that I've ever seen in my entire life! I can't wait till Noel is old enough to try that! Haha
Lars showed me a clip on youtube a year or 2 ago. It was of a guy giving a speech on the marshmallow experiment... it was pretty funny. I haven't actually done it yet. I should write down what I think each of them will do and then see what they actually do. Finn is probably too old for his waiting to tell me anything. That is pretty amazing for Xander! So, anyway, I was reading a book a while after that, called "Nurture shock," a collection of the newest findings in the psychology field, and they had a chapter on pretty much the same principle. It was telling how a new type of preschool was so surprisingly successful... the emphasis in this preschool was set on lengthening the kids' attention span and patience so, it was basically TEACHING the kids how to wait, and resist the urge of instant gratification. The book was very good, you should read it! What I'm trying to say is, while each child has their own personal attention span at birth or early on, there are things we can do on an every day basis that can help them learn more patience and hopefully have a more successful experience in school and life.
that was hilarious! cant wait to see that baby girl! did you guys pick a name yet?
I tried it with Colton and to my amazement he didn't even touch the marshmallow and concentrated on everything but the marshmallow...ha ha. I don't know why I was surprised...I would have been like Mason...ha ha!
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