Chapter 9: Mindsets

Question 1

What is a mindset?

Answer 1

a cognitive framework to guide one’s attention, information processing, decision making, and thinking about the meaning of effort, success, failure, and one’s own personal qualities.

Once adopted a mindset functions as a cognitive motivational system that produces important downstream consequences

Question 2

Mindset 1: Deliberative - Implemental

Answer 2

Two sequential ways of thinking to differentiate the patterns of thought that occur during the goal setting versus goal striving process

Question 3

Deliberative Mindset

Answer 3

An open minded way of thinking to consider the desirability and feasibility of a range of possible goals that one might or might not pursue.

While in this mindset during goal setting we often weigh the pros and cons of the goal. We are more realistic in this state and consider our goals in a way that allows to set goals that we have a better chance of actually achieving.

Question 4

Implemental Mindset

Answer 4

A postdecisional closed-minded way of thinking that considers only information related to goal attainment and shields against non goal related considerations

Question 5

Mindset 2: Promotion-Prevention

Answer 5

Two different orientations people adopt during goal striving to distinguish an eager improvement based regulatory style from a vigilant security based regulatory style

Question 6

Promotion Mindseet

Answer 6

A focus on advancing the self toward ideals by adopting an eager locomotion behavioural strategy

improvement method, growth based

Question 7

Prevention Mindset

Answer 7

A focus on preventing the self from not maintaining one’s duties and responsibilities by adopting a vigilant behavioural strategy

Don’t do wrong, don’t suffer loss (prevention)

Question 8

Mindset 3: Growth-Fixed

Answer 8

Two contrasting ways of thinking about the nature of ones personal qualities

Can vary over different situations and environments

Question 9

Growth Mindset:

Answer 9

The belief that ones personal qualities are malleable, changeable, and can be developed through effort

ex: how you think about personal qualities, I can get better at something if I practice.

Question 10

Fixed Mindset:

Answer 10

The belief that one’s personal qualities are fixed, set, and not open to change

ex: people stay as smart as they are, but studying will help with an examination

Question 11

Mindset 4: Consistency-Dissonance

Answer 11

The near-universal self-view that one is a competent, moral, and reasonable person

Question 12

Consistency Mindset:

Answer 12

Information and behavioural actions that confirm that yes, one is a competent, moral, and reasonable person

Question 13

Dissonance Mindset:

Answer 13

information and behavioural actions that suggest that no one is actually not a competent, moral, and reasonable person

Change attitude/behaviour to better match positive view of self when did something bad

Question 14

How do the implemental and deliberative mindsets relate to goal setting and goal striving?

Answer 14

Deliberative and implemental mindsets are different mindsets that motivationally support the sequential phases of goal setting and goal striving

Question 15

How do we move from goal setting to goal striving and how does this related to implemental and deliberative mindsets?

Answer 15

Phase 1: Goal setting: This is when we are in the deliberative mind set (goal deliberation and formulation of what to do) This phase motivates us and starts/energizes our behaviour. More open minded and realistic while in this state

Phase 2: Goal Striving: This is when we are in an implemental mind set (planning and action to attain the goal). This mindset is what keeps us going during the goal attainment. While striving for our goal and in the implemental mindset we are more closed minded and focused on the end point (eye on the prize) this can cause us to be unrealistic in the completion of goals and may not allow us to accurately adjust our goals while trying to obtain them if some other factor has changed since we set the goal.

Question 16

How do deliberative and implemental mindsets differ in the processing of distractor information?

Answer 16

Deliberative mindset encourages less selective processing compared to an implemental mindset.

Deliberative mindset creates a more realistic and honest with self decision making process and we are less optimistic during this time.

During the Fujita et al. study when participants were in a deliberative state they were more accurate at recognizing words and were also faster when responding.

Question 17

what were the findings from the Amor & Taylor Study?

Answer 17

Task assements and performance predictions made by participants were more optimistic in the implementation mindset and more pessimistic in deliberative mindset

In the implemental mindset participants were more optimistic , more confident in their choice (made this choice so now I gotta stick with it) This is how we deal with buyers remorse.

They also believed they would do better when they were in the implemental state and they in fact did do better.

Question 18

What were the findings of the Gollwitzer et al. Study?

Answer 18

Superior recall of mindset congruent information: Deliberative mindset led to better recall of expected value-related (motivational) information and the implemental mindset led to better recall of implementation related (voilition) information.

Deliberative = better for goal setting 
implemental = better for goal striving 

Could remember more info that related to goal setting when put in deliberative mind set and same goes for being in implemental and remembering things about goal striving

Question 19

Gollwitzer & Kinney

Answer 19

People in the implemental state had a greater illusion of control and those in the delibertive mind set felt they had less control

Question 20

Taylor & Gollwitzer

Answer 20

Deliberative Mindset led to worsened mood, greater perceived risk, lower self esteem, less optimism and the opposite results occurred for implementation.

Question 21

What is the Regulatory Focus Theory and how does it relate to promotion-prevention mindsets?

Answer 21

People strive for their goals using either an IMPROVEMENT-based regulatory style called the PROMOTION MINDSET, or a SECURITY-based regulatory style called the PREVENTION mindset

Promotion = approach mindset 
Prevention = Avoidance mindset 

Promotion –> what can I gain from this
Prevention –> what would I lose from this (see not losing something they already have as a gain)

Promotion mindset makes us sensitive to positive outcomes and the prevention mindset makes us sensitive to negative outcomes.

(this all only applies once your in goal striving)

Question 22

what are the 7 components of a promotion focused mindset?

Answer 22

1) attention to improvement needs
2) goals are seen as ideals: hopes and aspirations
3) Situations signalling possible gain
4) sensitivity to positive outcomes
5) motivational orientation is to attain gains
6) behavioural strategy is fast, eager, locomotion
7) emotionality: cheerfulness vs. dejection

Question 23

What are the 7 components of a prevention focused mindset?

Answer 23

1) attention to security needs
2) goals are seen as oughts: obligations, responsibilities
3) situations signalling possible loss
4) Sensitivity to negative outcomes
5) motivational orientation is to prevent losses
6) behavioural strategy is cautious, vigilant, assessment
7) emotionality: Calm vs. Agitation

Question 24

How do we motivate those in prevention vs. promotion ?

Answer 24

• Success and failure mean different things to people depending on their regulatory mindset
• Can’t motivate someone unless you know whether they are promotion or prevention
• either in one mindset or the other not both but can vary task to task
• the possibility of failure is not motivating to the promotion focused person, but the possibility of success is because it energizes their desire to accomplish and gain things
• The possibility of success is not motivating for the prevention focused person, but the possibility of failure is because it re-energizes their desire to be vigilant and stay safe

Prevention –> gain is seen as staying the same, would be good for them bc they didn’t lose anything.

Question 25

What are some of the main differences between Promotion and Prevention mindsets?

Answer 25

• Promotion mindset leads to the adoption of a gain based strategy of goal striving,
• while the prevention mindset leads to the adoption of a safety based strategy of goal striving

People with the promotion mindset are more willing to use accomplishment-based actions than they are to use vigilance-based actions.

People with the prevention mindset are more willing to use vigilance-based actions than they are to use accomplishment-based actions.

Question 26

Do people do better in one mindset over another? (promotion-prevention)

Answer 26

Depends on the person, will do best when they use the method they prefer. That being said promotion tends to do a little better on average than prevention mindset

Question 27

What is being referred to when talking about entity theorists?

Answer 27

this term refers to someone who has a fixed mindset. someone who has a fixed mindset believes that there is a physical entity that dwells inside the person to determine how much of the personality quality a person posses. Ex; being smart

Question 28

What is being referred to when talking about an incremental theorist?

Answer 28

incremental theorist refers to someone who believes that their personal qualities can be changed and developed incrementally over time. ex: if you study you will get smarter, or if you work on yourself you can become kinder.

Mastery mindset: with effort I can make improvements on something. Value effort and persistence

Question 29

Distinguish between Fixed and Growth mindsets, how to they respond to negative feedback?

Answer 29

Entity (Fixed) –> Judgement –> Helplessness (quit)

I am already how I am going to be

ex: goal at uni is to appear that I have higher ability than I actually do, doesn’t actually care about learning cause they think they can’t get better. Having to put effort in is not something they enjoy or want to do.
- When given negative feedback they basically just bail and quit.

Incremental (Growth) –> Development –> Mastery

Could careless about what others think of them, would rather work hard for a difficult B than get an easy A, they want to learn and actually get smarter not just appear smarter.
- When given negative feedback they work harder to meet their goals

Question 30

Hong et. al Study Results

Answer 30

Participants with growth mindset made stronger effort attributions than those with fixed mindset, and attributed the same amount of importance to effort as to ability

fixed mindset creates vulnerability to helplessness: after negative feedback participants with a fixed mindset were less willing to take remedial tutorials than those with growth mindset

ex: pro athletes would most likely fit into the growth mindset as they push themselves hard and always want to get better
someone who is a sore loser would most likely fit into the fixed mindset, as they want people to think they are really good so they get mad when they can’t perform and don;t like putting in work into something that they think they can’t do any better at so they just quit

Question 31

Mueller & Dweck Study Findings

Answer 31

Most children (67%) who were praised for their intelligence chose performance goals, while most children (92%) who were praised for their effort chose mastery goals

effort praise more favourable than intelligence praise

Question 32

Do children feel better when they feel smart or put in effort?

Answer 32

All depends on how they were praised. Whether they were praised for effort or for intelligence

in relation to the Mueller & Dweck Study: Children that had been praised for their intelligence, when given negative feedback attributed it to ability and those praised for effort who were given negative feedback attributed it to not trying hard enough.

When given a task after negative feedback those who were praised for their effort actually did better than before on the task than those who were praised for their intelligence, their performance went down.

Question 33

What was the result when children were placed with their peers after the study and asked to discuss their performance? (mueller & Dweck)

Answer 33

Over 1 third of the children praised for their intelligence cared so much about their performance and how it reflected on the that they would often lie about their true performance to their peers. While those praised for effort were more honest

Question 34

What are the 2 main achievement goals associated with fixed and growth mindsets?

Answer 34

Mastery Goals and Performance Goals
- Differ in what constitutes competence of the goal

In Achievement situations people with a fixed mindset generally adopt performance goals and are concerned with looking smart

while people with a growth mindset generally adopt mastery goals in achievement situations and are concerned with learning, improving, and getting smarter.

Question 35

What are the key differences between Mastery and Performance goals?

Answer 35

Mastery Goal:

• develop one’s competence
• Make progress
• Improve the self
• Overcome difficulties with effort and persistence

Performance goals:

• Prove one’s competence
• display high ability
• outperform others
• succeed with little apparent effort

Question 36

what are the 4 Keys to adoption of a mastery goal over a performance goal ( 4 reasons someone would chose a mastery goal over a performance goal)

EXAM QUESTION

Answer 36

1) Preference for a challenging task one can learn from: When people adopt mastery vs. performance goals they tend to prefer challenging tasks that they can learn from than tasks that are easy and that they excel at
2) Use of conceptually based learning strategies: you would really put in effort to actually learn and not just temporarily memorize the information
3) Experience greater intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation
4) more likely to ask for information and help when they need it

This leads them to WORK HARDER, PERSIST LONGER, and PERFORM BETTER

Question 37

What does fear of failure do?

Answer 37

works against achievement strivings by encouraging us to adopt performance-avoidance goals

When we try hard to avoid performing poorly we end up regulating our behaviour in ways that increase negative affect, and always trying to avoid embarrassing oneself, takes its toll on our well-being