TEAR. Walter Mischel, father of the famous marshmallow test

The psychologist who demonstrated the importance of being able to delay gratification to succeed later in life died on September 12 in New York. Walter Mischel, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and self-styled "Marshmallow Man", was 88 years old.

The announcement from Columbia University:

Professor Mischel is revered for his self-regulation work and is the author of the popular book The marshmallow test: mastering self-control. He describes his groundbreaking studies of young children in the 1960s and 1970s, during which they had the choice between receiving immediate treatment and receiving two treats 15 minutes later. The tactics used by youth to distract themselves have implications for delayed gratification in adults. For example, when faced with the urge to smoke or a choice between arguing and compromise, Mischel recommended keeping a goal in mind and focusing on the consequences of the loss. self-control. "

The behavioral study of Mischel was conducted among 600 children aged four to six, all from the Bing Kindergarten of Stanford University. He gave each child a marshmallow and gave them the opportunity to eat it immediately if they wanted it. But if they could wait 15 minutes, they would receive a second marshmallow as a reward. Then Mischel would leave the room and a hidden video camera would record what happened next.

Some kids just ate marshmallow right away. Others have found a distraction at hand: covering their eyes, kicking the office or poking marshmallow with their fingers. Some of them felt, licked or took small bites around the edges, hoping that the examiner would not realize it. About one-third of the children held on long enough to earn a second marshmallow. Several years later, Mischel found a strong correlation between the success of some of these children later in life (higher grades, self-confidence) and their ability to delay gratification in kindergarten. The Mischel follow-up study confirmed the correlation.

"The ability to hold a second marshmallow depends largely on the social and economic context of the child."

Earlier this year, a study published in the journal Psychological science who reproduced the marshmallow test with preschool children concluded that the picture is a little more nuanced. He found the same correlation between subsequent success and the ability to resist temptation in preschool education, but it was much less important after the researchers took into account aspects such as family history, l & # 39; 39, family environment, etc. "The ability to hold a second marshmallow depends largely on the social and economic context of the child and, in turn, this success, not the ability to delay satisfaction, is the reason for the long-term success of children." co-author Jessica McCrory Calarco of the University of Indiana wrote in L & # 39; Atlantic in July.

Mischel himself advised caution in interpreting his initial conclusions. "The idea that your child is doomed if she chooses not to wait for her marshmallows is really a serious misunderstanding," he told PBS in 2015.

Mischel was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1930; his family fled the Nazi occupation in 1938 and settled in the United States. He then obtained his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Ohio State University, teaching at the University of Colorado, Harvard and Stanford (where he conducted his famous marshmallow test) before moving to Colombia in 1983. the 20th century. Part of his interest in deferred gratification stems from his smoking at three doses a day; he did not stop trying to stop.

Mischel is survived by his wife, Michele Tolela Myers, three daughters and several grandchildren. "Walter was a living legend in psychology, but a humble mentor and colleague, we will miss him a lot." said Carl Hart, chair of Columbia's psychology department and professor of psychology Ziff.