Marshmallows could hurt your credit rating


University of Otago psychology researcher Dr Damian Scarf is using the marshmallow test to study how children exercise self-control. Photo by Vaughan Elder.

A University of Otago researcher is looking into how a
child exercising restraint in scoffing marshmallows influences
their prospects later in life.

Psychology researcher Dr Damian Scarf is carrying out
multiple studies on techniques children use to stop
themselves from eating one marshmallow immediately, rather
than waiting and receiving multiple marshmallows later.

Previous studies showed children who could control their
impulses grew up with better self-control.

A Dunedin multidisciplinary health and development study
linked poor self-control among children with a lower credit
rating later in life.

''Obviously, self-control is important and so figuring out
ways to improve it is a big research area,'' he said.

What separated Dr Scarf's studies from previous work was its
focus on the different techniques children used to avoid
temptation.

''You find that the way that the children generally do it is
they come up with some sort of strategy to get through the
delay.

''You have got the singers, who sit there and start singing
to themselves.

''You have the children who crawl under the table or turn
their chair around so they don't actually look at the reward.

''We have children who use the chairs to set up a bus.''

Then there were some children who go for the one marshmallow
- or sticker - right away.

Children who have taken part in a variation of the
marshmallow test, with marshmallows substituted for stickers,
will be tested again after they go back to school.

''At the moment, we know that children's performance on the
marshmallow task relates to aptitude in schools.

''What we don't know is whether the strategies is what is
contributing to that.''

His lab now has an eye tracker, which gives a more sensitive
reading of what pupils are focusing on in order to avoid
being tempted.

A study he and other researchers, including vice-chancellor
Prof Harlene Hayne, published earlier this year found if
3-year-old children had the implications of their decision
brought to their attention they were more likely to exercise
self-control.

Parents of young children interested in taking part in the
research could contact Dr Scarf at
damian@psy.otago.ac.nz

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