PSYC 471 Chapter Notes -Mindset, Learned Helplessness, Problem Set
Document Summary
Motivation article # 10: the secret to raising smart kids. A focus on effort not on intelligence or ability is key to success in school and in life. More than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings. These children coast through early grades under the dangerous notion that no-effort academic achievement defines them as smart of gifted. Such children hold an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed, making striving to learn seem far less important than being smart. This belief also makes them see challenges, mistakes and even the need to exert effort as threats to their ego rather than as opportunities to improve. And it causes them to lose confidence and motivation when the work is no longer easy for them. Praising children"s innate abilities reinforces this mind set.