marshmallow test

[mahrsh-mel-oh test, -mal-oh]

noun

Psychology.

1. an experiment in which self-control is assessed through whether the subject, usually a child, chooses to eat a presented treat, such as a marshmallow or cookie, for immediate gratification or chooses to wait in order to get an additional, promised treat.

Word History and Origins

Origin of marshmallow test¹

First recorded in 1965–70; developed by Austrian-born U.S. psychologist Walter Mischel (1930–2018) at Stanford University

Example Sentences

Elsewhere in the barn, behavioral biologist Sandra Düpjan has been replicating the famous “marshmallow test” with pigs.

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The classic marshmallow test, invented by the late psychologist Walter Mischel, involves presenting a child with one marshmallow and explaining that they can have it now or they can have two later if they wait until the marshmallow giver returns.

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Some studies have found that better performance on that marshmallow test in childhood predicts better outcomes in school, relationships and health later in life.

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In 2021, Alexandra Schnell, a biologist at the University of Cambridge, and others found that cuttlefish can pass a version of the marshmallow test, a famous measure of self-control in human psychology.

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In recent years, a string of high-profile papers has reported that they are capable of surprising cognitive feats, including rejecting easy meals while holding out for better food in the future, a version of the famous marshmallow test.

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