Reference Material:
They call it the marshmallow test. A four to six year-old-child sits alone in a room at a table facing a marshmallow on a plate. The child is told: “If you don’t eat this treat for 15 minutes you can have both it and a second one. Kids on average wait for five or six minutes before eating the marshmallow. The longer a child can resist the treat has been correlated with higher general competency later in life.
Now a study shows that ability to resist temptation isn’t strictly innate-it also highly influenced by environment. Researchers gave five-year-old used crayons and one sticker to decorate a sheet of paper. One group was promised a new set of art supplies for the project-but then never received it. But the other group did receive new crayons and better stickers. Then both groups were given the marshmallow test. The children who had been lied to waited for a mean time of three minutes before eating the marshmallow. The group that got their promised materials resisted an average of 12 minutes. Thus, the researchers note that experience factors into a child’s ability to delay gratification. When previous promises have been hollow, why believe the next one?
Sample Answer:
In the marshmallow test, children who can wait fifteen minutes without eating the marshmallow are promised to get the second one. The waiting time which indicates the ability to resist temptation is correlated with children’s competency later in life. However, children who are disappointed in the previous crayon test are less likely to wait 15 minutes for the second marshmallow. (60 words)
For more real exam PTE questions and brand 9 answers, check out “All in One PTE Question Bank”.
