What Is the Marshmallow Test and Can Animals Pass It?
" " The original marshmallow test studied whether and how children distracted themselves to avoid eating a marshmallow in hopes of getting two later on. doble.d/Getty Images Ever seen images of preschoolers staring longingly at a single marshmallow? Chances are, you caught a glimpse of the so-called marshmallow test. Conducted about 50 years ago, the experiment was designed to examine preschoolers' ability to delay gratification when presented with a choice of having one marshmallow now or waiting a period of time and having two marshmallows later. The marshmallow test was more than jus...