"Metacognition, thinking about thinking, allows people to outsmart their shortcomings."
The kids who waited to eat the marshmallows tended to use a strategy we call metacognition. They would distract themselves by playing games by themselves, pulling thei hair or talking to themselves. Essentially knowing what was going on would make it easier for them to fight the desire. Desire can be explained as a strign will that allows someone to give in or fight something that the person wants.
What the author seems to be saying is that if we can recognize this abililty (metacognition) within our selves, it will help us in life. With that being said, this is not an easy task even for adults let alone small children. It takes lots of focus and honesty with one self to accept your thoughts and kind of manipulate them in a way to get what you want.
I agree with you here, it was true that when a child succeeded and did not eat the marshmallow, they were usually distracting themselves with an alternate task. This is also true with adults: if one waits and has patience, he or she will be rewarded with greater things in the future.
ReplyDeleteMeta-cognition or thinking about thinking is contemplating one's own thought patterns. I cant really agree with the idea that the kids are actually thinking about their thought processes. All of us know when we want something so we try not to think about it but meta-cognition would include, "Why do I desire that marshmallow?"
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