Richard Aslin
Richard Aslin is a researcher and co-author of the 2013 Cognition paper on young children's decisions on the marshmallow task and beliefs about environmental reliability.
Who they are
The work of Richard Aslin reaches this site through the paper listed below. On this site the name is tied to Rational Snacking, Marshmallow Test.
Key papers
Kidd, C., Palmeri, H., & Aslin, R. N. (2013). Rational snacking: Young children's decision-making on the marshmallow task is moderated by beliefs about environmental reliability. Cognition, 126(1), 109-114. What it reports: Twenty-eight children were split into two groups, and a researcher kept or broke a promise about art supplies before the marshmallow task. Nine of 14 children in the reliable group waited the full 15 minutes, against 1 of 14 in the unreliable group.
Key ideas
Rational Snacking: The idea that a child's waiting time reflects a reasoned bet on whether the adult's promise will be kept.
Marshmallow Test: A waiting task in which a child is offered one treat now or a larger one after a wait, used to study how children manage delay.
Sources
- Kidd, C., Palmeri, H., & Aslin, R. N. (2013). Rational snacking: Young children's decision-making on the marshmallow task is moderated by beliefs about environmental reliability. Cognition, 126(1), 109-114.