The New Yorker and Social Emotional Skills

Jonah Lehrer wrote in the May 18, 2009 issue of The New Yorker an article titled "Don't. The Secret of Self Control."  It highlights yet again an experiment that took place in the 60's - a marshmallow test - made famous by Dan Goleman in his book emotional intelligence.  Nursery school kids were asked to sit in a room alone; each was given a marshmallow.  The adult told each child that if the child waited until the adult walked down the hall to do an errand for a few minutes, the child would be given a second marshmallow.  The adult left the room and the experiment began.  The kids who waited were able to better delay gratification - a skill considered to be a social and emotional skill.  A skill included in the social and emotional activities used at WINGS.

Lehrer wraps up his article with a recap of the results of the experiment:

Once Mischel began analyzing the results, he noticed that low delayers, the children who rang the bell quickly, seemed more likely to have behavioral problems, both in school and at home. They got lower S.A.T. scores. They struggled in stressful situations, often had trouble paying attention, and found it difficult to maintain friendships. The child who could wait fifteen minutes had an S.A.T. score that was, on average, two hundred and ten points higher than that of the kid who could wait only thirty seconds.

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