Don’t Eat the Marshmallow!’ Walter

"Don't Eat the Marshmallow!"

Walter Mischel is one of the theorists on whose work we are focusing this week. One of his major contributions to the literature is delayed gratification. This assignment has two steps:

Step One: Please watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLtQaRrDsC4 (You will note that, in it, Mischel's work has been utilized to develop a 'delayed gratification curriculum' for KIPP schools nationwide.)

Step Two: Please answer the following 6 discussion questions and upload those answers here in an enumerated list.

1) Why is ‘delayed gratification’ something that our society should be interested in?

2) Do you remember the ‘grit and self-control’ (i.e., Can you Level Up?) exercise from a few weeks ago? In it, you defined self control. What is self control? Many of you indicated that you have lofty goals for which self control is crucial. 

3) How does the ability to ‘delay gratification’ relate to the concept of 'self-control'?

4) Focus on minute 2 – minute 3: According to Mischel, what are some characteristics of college students who demonstrated a stronger ability to delay gratification when they were children?

5) Would you say you have a strong or weak ability to delay gratification? Is that a good or bad thing? Explain.

6) If a college student lacks the ability to delay gratification, are they typically going to experience more or less success? Explain your answer in light of the research you’ve reviewed.