The marshmallow test in context: How does the social environment influence decision-making and self-control?

Abstract

This article proposes a discussion of psychosocial factors that influence how humans make decisions related to self-control, emphasizing how preschoolers make those decisions in delayed reward situations. To this end, it takes as a starting point the marshmallow test placed in social context, to analyze how aspects such as rationality, emotions, socioeconomic status, culture and particularly trust in others influence how decisions are made and how self-control is exercised in relation to the delay of immediate rewards to obtain, subsequently, more beneficial results.