Education Obituary

Obituary

September 25, 2018 1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Walter Mischel, a Columbia University psychologist and the author of landmark studies on child development and self-control, died Sept. 12. He was 88.

Mischel was perhaps best known for a series of studies that came to be known as the “marshmallow test,” which has helped shape social-psychology research and the modern school approach to children’s social-emotional development.

More than 45 years ago, he led a team of Stanford University researchers who asked 4-year-olds to hold off eating one treat in exchange for the promise of two later. Fewer than 1 in 3 children were able to wait the full 15 minutes—but in the decades that followed, Mischel and other researchers found those who had waited for the extra treat were more likely to achieve academically and maintain healthy habits than peers who couldn’t hold out.

A version of this article appeared in the September 26, 2018 edition of Education Week as Obituary

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read