fei75766_ch18_569-609.indd 603  02/24/20 10:50 AM
Chapter 18     Rotter and Mischel: Cognitive Social Learning Theory603
“grit” backinthe1960s todelay theirgratification, andthatgritlaterpredicted a
lifetime ofsuccess, meant thistraitofself-control washighly genetic; oneeither has
itordoesnothaveit.ButMischel’s cognitive-affective personality theory wasand
remains always about thedynamic interaction ofthecognitive, affective, andbehav -
ioralactions people make ingiven situations. Assuch, self-control involves skills and
these skills canbeexercised insome situations andnotothers, andtheycanbetaught 
andenhanced. 
Walter Mischel (2014a) published abook reviewing hisresearch overthe
decades onwillpower andself-regulation, andsetting therecord straight, inacon-
versational style, regarding thetakeaways from thiswork entitled The Marshmallow 
Test: Mastering Self-Control. Init,heargues thatself-control andtheability todelay 
gratification islikeamuscle thatwecanstrengthen bytraining, andthatwecan
choose toflexornot.Heandhiscolleagues discovered twoimportant strategies that
enable ustoresist temptation infavor oflong-term goals: redirection ofattention 
andcognitive reframing (Mischel etal.,2010). Thekidsintheoriginal marshmal -
lowstudies whosucceeded indelaying employed these strategies, andallofuscan
learn todoso.Looking away orattending tosomething besides thetempting object 
helps delayers, whether wearefacing asweet treatlikeamarshmallow orapack of
cigarettes atthestore checkout when wearetrying toquitsmoking. Reframing a
situation away from what Mischel andhiscolleagues callthe“hot” features thatour
emotional, limbic system encodes (themarshmallow’s delicious chewiness ornico-
tine’s calming effect) andtoward “cooler” representations thatourprefrontal cortex 
isincharge of(“the marshmallow’s shape resembles acloud” or“what elsecould I
buyinstead withthemoney apack ofcigarettes costs?”) boosts ourcapacity todelay 
orevenovercome unhealthy immediate gratifications. Theultimate goalistogetthe
coolcognitive system, through practice, totakeoverwhat typically isactivated inthe
hotsystem. Mischel says, “The coolsystem allows ustoregulate theemotional ther-
mostat sothatin‘hot’situations ourresponse iscooler andreflective rather thanhot
andreflexive. Ithelps tohave‘if-then’ implementation plans sothatwhen, say,the
dessert arrives, Ichoose the
fruitrather thanfillmyself 
withsugar” (Mischel, 
2014b, p.943).
These simple strate -
giescanbetaught todra-
matically improve people’s 
capacity todelay gratifi -
cation andimprove self-
regulation andhence our
lives. Walter Mischel’s seem -
inglysimple demonstrations 
ofearlylifeself-regulatory 
competencies haveproven 
tobepowerful predictors of
healthy, flexible personality 
wellintomidlife.
Themarshmallow testisaclassic measure ofself-regulation 
inchildren andpredicts many long-term outcomes suchasacademic 
performance inhighschool andcollege. 
Josie Garner/ShutterstockFinal PDF to printer