The document describes the marshmallow challenge, an exercise where teams have 18 minutes to build the tallest free-standing structure out of spaghetti, tape, string and a marshmallow using the supplied materials. It notes that business students typically perform poorly while children are more successful. The reasons for this include children's lack of preconceptions, greater diversity in skills and experience, and their ability to experiment through trial and error. The document also discusses how incentives and repeated attempts can improve scores over time by motivating teams and allowing them to learn from mistakes.