Rational snacking: young children's decision-making on the marshmallow task is moderated by beliefs about environmental reliability.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized controlled laboratory experiment
PubMed 23063236 · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2012.08.004
What was done
Children (mean age 4 years, 6 months; N = 28) were tested using the classic marshmallow delay-of-gratification task in an environment experimentally demonstrated to be either reliable or unreliable.
What was found
Children in the reliable condition waited significantly longer than those in the unreliable condition (p < 0.0005). Specific wait times, group sizes per arm, and effect size metrics were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This demonstrates that delay-of-gratification task performance is modulated by rational assessments of environmental reliability and trust, rather than reflecting innate self-control capacity alone.
Limits
The sample size was very small (N = 28 total across conditions). The abstract does not provide exact wait times, confidence intervals, or details about the demographic background of the participants.