Delay of Gratification Testing |
As a child development research AND public radio junkie, I
was thrilled this past weekend when NPR’s This American Life aired an hour-long segment
highlighting the factors that allow students to succeed in school and in life.
Spoiler alert: intelligence isn’t at the top of that list.
The segment explored emerging theories on what to teach kids
from Paul Tough’s new book, How Children Succeed .
The radio show and book explain that “soft” or “non-cognitive” or “executive” skill
sets are actually much more important than was previously thought to a child’s future
success. These are sometimes describes as character traits such as self-control,
conscientiousness, delayed gratification, curiosity, perseverance/grit, and optimism.
Have you ever heard of the Marshmallow test? This is a
cognitive test administered to young children where they are given one
marshmallow. The adult instructs the child that they will leave the room and if
the child hasn’t eaten the marshmallow before the time that the adult returns,
the child will receive two marshmallows. You need only search the somewhat hilarious YouTube
video archives
to get a sense for the internal dilemma that these children are faced with. But these researchers have found that children who are able to delay their
gratification—who are able to bear the wait for that second, larger reward—do
better on their SAT's, make more money in adulthood, and continue on a life
trajectory of achievement.
Unfortunately, not all children ace their marshmallow tests.
Children who have adverse childhood experiences (violence, poverty, hunger, and
trauma) experience considerable stress in their environment which actually
stymies the brain’s development of these essential, non-cognitive skills. As a
result, these children are much more likely to have behavioral problems and
difficulty in school and experience higher rates of chronic disease later in
life.
Thankfully, these essential skills can be learned even in
spite of adverse childhood experiences if children have strong, supportive
connections to adult role models like parents and other community members.
In Marion County these resources are vast. Indianapolis is a
home to mentoring organizations like 100 Black Men, the Boys and Girls Club, the Center for Leadership Development, United Way’s Youth Leadership Initiative, Girls Inc.,
and so many more.
For a comprehensive list of mentoring services, academic and
non-academic support services, college and career prep organizations and other
resources, visit the Own Yours Campaign Student Resources page
on MCCOY’s website.
This research only confirms what we already know: that success in life is
determined by resourcefulness, determination and conscientiousness, that it
takes a strong, caring community to raise a child, and that we
can all take up the charge of investing in the growth and success of children.
Visit ownyours.org |