Support Strategy for Executive Function in Children of Low-Income Families: The Marshmallow Test Has a Learning Value

Abstract

Executive function (EF) development is an important part of infancy and childhood, promoting success in later life. Developing targeted methods is desirable to enable EF. There is an urgent need for easily implementable proposals to ameliorate educational disparities between income groups. EF is a skill that its possessor can use to inhibit thoughts and emotions. There is a relationship between EF and the prefrontal cortex. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children’s (WISC-IV) Working Memory Index (WMI) task for thinking and the marshmallow test for emotions have been used to measure EF, but these tests themselves carry a load of inhibitions. Therefore, we can assume a natural value in learning to improve on the test. The marshmallow test does not require parental expertise in preparation or implementation, and it entails little financial burden. If there is a potential value in learning how to do better on the test, it will be easy for parents in low-income families to help their children improve. I examined whether the marshmallow test itself can support EF. Measurements of brain activity in the prefrontal cortex over 8 days showed that the marshmallow test was more active than the WMI task or the abacus task. Therefore, the results suggest that continued use of the marshmallow test can support EF even in low-income families.