The Marshmallow Task

Authors

• Laurel A. Brabson, West Virginia University
• Hannah M. Coffey, West Virginia University
• Mary Margaret Ruckle, West Virginia University
• Cheryl B. McNeil, West Virginia UniversityFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-25-2025

Keywords

behavior, childhood, Columbia University, delayed gratification, Dr. Walter Mischel, foundation, future studies, Harvard University, human systems, impulse control, marshmallow test, professor, psychology, professorship, Stanford University, University of Colorado, Vienna (Austria)

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Developmental Psychology | Experimental Analysis of Behavior

Abstract

To study the human systems of self-control during delayed gratification, Dr. Walter Mischel and colleagues developed what became the famous Marshmallow Test, published in Science in 1989. This study became a frontrunner in the field of psychology, laying the foundation for future studies in impulse control. Dr. Mischel was born in 1930 in Vienna, Austria. He was a professor at the University of Colorado, Harvard University, and Stanford University where he originally conducted the Marshmallow Test. Dr. Mischel currently holds a professorship at Columbia University.

Recommended Citation

Brabson, Laurel A.; Coffey, Hannah M.; Ruckle, Mary Margaret; and McNeil, Cheryl B., "The Marshmallow Task" (2025). Essays in Developmental Psychology. 123.
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/edp/123