There is also a theory that being born in a disadvantaged family creates disparities for children. On the other hand, in the United States, this experiment to eliminate the educational disparity has been repeated. One of them is the proposal of non-cognitive ability. It is optimistic that if measures are taken in early childhood, the effects will be greatly enhanced after growth. Examples of the content of "non-cognitive ability" are motivation, cooperation, tenacity, and patience. The claim is that cognitive skills alone do not determine success in life. Life is not decided only by the so-called test results and IQ.
There is an interesting study called the Marshmallow Experiment. This experiment was conducted on infants. "I'll give you marshmallows, but if you can put up with it for 15 minutes, I'll give you another marshmallow." "But if you eat it while I'm away, I won't give you another one," said the person in charge. Children are also urged to eat delicious marshmallows right away. As a result, about one-third of the children endured to the end and got a second marshmallow. Twenty years after this experiment, there is a follow-up study of what happened to these children. It turns out that the children who put up with it show a wide variety of high performance. These children were characterized by college aptitude test results, good interpersonal relationships, the ability to cope with stress appropriately, and less obesity.
There was a difference between the children who endured without eating marshmallows and the children who did. Children who ate marshmallows during the experiment were touching and staring at the marshmallows. On the other hand, the child who could endure was trying to divert his attention from the marshmallow by closing his eyes or looking back so that the marshmallow disappeared from his eyes. The resources that exert the power of will are not infinite. It's difficult to put up with what you want for a long time. Exceeding the amount of resources that can be tolerated seems to be described in psychology as "resource depletion." It can be said that the children who could endure did not waste resources through the act of not seeing marshmallows.