Marshmallow experiment! (Here via jesse_the_k) I heard vaguely about the replications on ... some BBC science radio show or other ... and wondered whether they'd done anything about the massive holes in the original study; it sounded as tho they'd commented on the biggest problem but not paid enough attention to fix it, but of course that could be reporting bias.
As for the original: I don't remember when it was done or when I heard about it (even whether that was closer to 10 years ago or 40), but I remember my reaction. Soooooo ... this is supposed to be testing willpower in the form of delayed gratification? But it isn't. It's testing ... probably half a dozen entangled things, of which the most F-ING OBVIOUS is how much "subjects" trust the "experimenter". Also I'll eat my hat if any of these people grew up working class, let alone in any actually precarious or unstable home environment. CAN READ NO FURTHER MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE.
(It was never my field, but I used to read stuff.)
no subject
As for the original: I don't remember when it was done or when I heard about it (even whether that was closer to 10 years ago or 40), but I remember my reaction. Soooooo ... this is supposed to be testing willpower in the form of delayed gratification? But it isn't. It's testing ... probably half a dozen entangled things, of which the most F-ING OBVIOUS is how much "subjects" trust the "experimenter". Also I'll eat my hat if any of these people grew up working class, let alone in any actually precarious or unstable home environment. CAN READ NO FURTHER MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE.
(It was never my field, but I used to read stuff.)