The pupils at Framlingham College have been dabbling in a tricky little test to see how their younger peers cope when faced with temptation – and the results are hilarious.
We all know how difficult it can be to resist a treat, especially if it’s sitting right in front of us. But what would it take for us to wait just a few moments if it meant reaping the rewards later on?
It’s a question that’s been puzzling the pupils at Framlingham College, and prompted them to put the self-control of their younger peers to the test – with hilarious results.
Based on the famous ‘marshmallow test’, developed by Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel in the 1960s, the pupils put together a new-and-improved ‘Haribo experiment’, testing the willpower of young children by observing how they cope with temptation.
In a seriously cute video put together by the college team and shared on YouTube, Year 8 pupils Jake and Amy offer a Haribo sweet to a handful of children from the prep school’s nursery and reception classes.
The children are told they are welcome to eat the treat right away, but if they wait until the older pupils return to the room they will be offered a second sweet to enjoy.
“The marshmallow experiment is a psychology experiment from the late 1960s, designed by psychologist Walter Mischel, a professor at Stanford University,” the Year 8 pupils explain.
“The idea is you give young children a marshmallow and say that you can eat it straight away, or if you don’t eat it and hold on until we come back you can have a second marshmallow.
“This experiment is all about delayed gratification. We have updated this experiment by using Haribo.”
In a caption posted on social media, a spokesman for the college said: “The learning is already back in full swing at Framlingham this Summer and on a day where we will be celebrating our younger pupils with the opening of the Early Years building, please enjoy this short, funny video that captured a recent scientific experiment by our Year 8 pupils.”
Do you think they’ll manage it? Watch the video above to find out.
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