Lecture 14: The Motivational Effects of Praise

Question 1

What did praising his nephews make Koestner realize about praise?

Answer 1

That praise also has an effect on the child who is not receiving it

Question 2

What are some reasons we praise?

Answer 2

To Motivate (hope to reinforce a behavior)
To Protect (a kid who is doing poorly)
To Manipulate (control)

Question 3

What was Brophy’s Classic 1981 study?

Answer 3

Had graduate students record teachers and then coded them

Found no evidence of a relationship between praise and class performance. No relationship in individual student’s grades

Question 4

How does Brophy define praise?

Answer 4

to commend the worth of someone’s behavior or to express approval or admiration

Question 5

What is the common assumption about praise?

Answer 5

That it will act as reinforcement but this is only true under certain conditions

Question 6

What conditions does praise need to meet in order to work as reinforcement?

Answer 6

It must be:

1. Contingent (how close in time)
2. Specific
3. Credible (believable?)

Question 7

How common was praise by teachers in Brophy’s study?

Answer 7

5% of comments praise (almost never contingent or specific)

10% of comments criticism

Question 8

What are the first 3 categories of praise?

Answer 8

Related to the type of teacher (relatively harmless) Praise to create a nice atmosphere (warm agreeable teachers)

1. Positive Guidance
2. Transitional ritual
3. Balance for criticism (Oreo technique, sandwich criticism between praise)

Question 9

What are Koestner’s concerns with the sandwich method?

Answer 9

that you might fall for it at first but then you realize it’s not genuine

Question 10

What are the next 3 ways of using praise? (4,5,6) and what kind of students are they directed at?

Answer 10

4. Icebreaker or peace offering: for troublemaking students often being punished. Offer praise as a peace offering after a conflict. Signal that out of dog house. No intent to change behavior
5. Consolation prize or as encoragement: students that are cooperative, compliant, but slow try to encourage them with praise. But as kid gets older and compares self with others and realizes they’re getting praise for things others aren’t getting praise for (makes them feel pathetic +can be damaging)
6. Vindication of predictions: praise for finally doing what the teacher says they could do (Smart kid who doesn’t work hard) Mixed message: teacher is saying they’re a great predictor + reminding everyone how bad the kid usually is (negative effect)

Question 11

What are the last 3 categories of praise? (7,8,9)

Answer 11

7. Attempt vicarious reinforcement: Why can’t you all be more like John? Using a kid as a model. Kid being used as model will feel manipulated
8. Student-elicited stroking: Good students who are extroverted and socially confident. Conditioning teacher to give them praise. Systematic
9. Spontaneous expression of surprise or admiration: Most rare, only kind that is effective.

Question 12

Which type of praise does Brophy think is the worst? Koestner?

Answer 12

Bromphy: 7
Koestner: 8

Question 13

What was Brophy’s conclusion about praise?

Answer 13

Student’s don’t actually need praise to master the curriculum/acquire acceptable behaviors/healthy self concepts

Question 14

What is Henderlong and Lepper’s definition of praise?

Answer 14

Positive evaluation made by a person for another’s products/performances/attributes where the evaluator has validity to their standards/credibility

Question 15

What’s the difference between praise and encouragement?

Answer 15

Praise is for something that has already happened encouragement is about something that might happen in the future

Question 16

What were Henderlong and Lepper’s conclusions about praise? What are the 2 key conceptual differences?

Answer 16

inconsistant results, depends on type of praise.
Two key conceptual differences:
1. What attributions are being promoted (ability? effort? and process? person?)
2. What will the impact be on perceptions of competence/autonomy? important to feel competent but important that it’s not controlling because that undermines autonomy

Question 17

What is the problem with conditional praise and affection?

Answer 17

It leads to a contingent sense of self esterm -> introjection and ill being