Supports multimedia playback on your device

What could "marshmallow test, to teach children?

September 22 2014 at 12:34 BST Updated

The famous experiment of child psychology in 1960 became known as the marshmallow test was updated by the inventor of the experiment, Professor Walter Mischel.

The marshmallow test in small children and recent research on the control of persons who participated in the study examined an overview of the impact of personality traits in children have identified later in life had.

For today's program, Mischel can be taught said the self is not fixed, however, and:

"The good news is that there are tactics and strategies the children to enable their ability to monitor and manage negative emotions greatly improve their ability to adaptively cope temptations and constructive and potentially teachable relatively simple cognitive skills."

First broadcast on the Today program on BBC Radio 4 Monday, September 22.