Beginning in the late 60’s a man named Walter Mischel conducted a series of experiments at Stanford University. Young children sat in front of a table with a marshmallow on it. The game: They could eat the marshmallow immediately or they could wait alone for about fifteen minutes and get two. This became known as the marshmallow experiment. The Strategic Allocation of Attention The researchers saw a wide variety of behaviors play out as the children struggled with this dilemma. A small percentage were unable to resist and snatched up the marshmallow immediately. Others stared intensely at it while an internal battle raged before finally succumbing to immediate gratification. The most successful kids used something Mischel calls the strategic allocation of attention. They avoided the table entirely and distracted themselves by making silly noises, looking away or tapping their feet, covering their eyes with their hands, kicking the desk, tugging… read more ยป
