Mindsets Flashcards
What is a mindset?
A fixed mental attitude or disposition that pre-determines a persons responses to and interpretations of a situation
State 3 differences between a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset
1) Abilities can be developed, VS Abilities are stable traits
2) Success is effort, VS, Success if talent
3) Failure indicates more effort, VS Failure indicates you’re not good enough
What goals are people with a Growth Mindset vs people with a Fixed mindset likely to pursue?
Growth Mindset pursue Mastery Goals, Fixed Mindset pursue Performance Goals
How can these mindsets influence educational achievement?
Those with Growth Mindsets found maths performance improved over time, and they respond better to setbacks
What other aspects can mindsets influence, other than education?
Dieting and Athletics
In relation to self-regulation, what did mindsets influence?
1) Participants willingness to attempt challenging tasks
2) Participants effort they put in to them
What was found about the Growth Mindset intervention in Mrazrek study?
Participants in this group interpreted fatigue as a sign of putting in more effort as opposed to withdrawing effort
State 3 differences between a Maximiser and a Satisficer
1) Look for the best outcome VS Look for a good outcome
2) Evaluate all possible options e.g. one more page of hotels to find the best VS Evaluate enough for satisfactory outcome
3) Thorough rather than fast VS Fast rather than thorough
What do Maximisers have (4 letter symbolism)?
FOBO = fear of a better option, worried that whatever they choose could have been better
Why is too much choice bad? What evidence is there for this?
You would think having more choice makes you more likely to make a happy choice, but its actually the opposite.
For example, Grocery store shoppers with 24 choices of jam rather than 6, 10x less likely to purchase any jam
Students asked about an optional essay, given 30 essay questions rather than just 6, were less likely to do it (only 60%) and got worse marks
Is Maximising adaptive?
These people achieve objectively better outcomes, apply to more jobs, offered $7k more in salary, and have more job offers
Can Maximising be maladaptive?
Lower in happiness, optimism, self-esteem, and higher in regret, depression and perfectionism, therefore sacrificing resources and time and effort could lead to the person feeling worse
What is Imposter Syndrome?
The belief that you aren’t as competent as you appear to others, and the fear that others will find out
What do people with Imposter Syndrome believe that their success is attributed to?
Not their ability, but external sources such as luck
What do people with Imposter Syndrome believe about when they get praise or approval?
That this is just an indication that they have managed to deceive or trick others
What 3 reasons were there for Imposter feelings, according to 212 students at a European University
1) Fear of failure
2) Fear of success (having responsibility increases chancres of someone seeing you’re just “winging it”)
3) Low self-esteem
What other 2 reasons were there for Imposter feelings, according to 107 second and third year undergrads from the UK?
1) Perceived parental control e.g. parent decide things for you
2) Low self-esteem
What are the consequences of Imposter Syndrome?
Even though people with Imposter Syndrome do just as well and it doesn’t actually impair their ability, they are not happy and can experience anxiety, procrastination, self-sabotage and poorer mental health
What are the 4 stages of the Model of Action Phase?
1) Predecisional Phase
2) Preactional Phase
3) Actional Phase
4) Postactional Phase
Why don’t we learn from our mistakes when we seat goals?
Because we have unrealistic expectations
Outline 4 of these unrealistic expectations
1) Speed e.g. we think we can change more quickly than is actually possible
2) Amount e.g. we think we can achieve more than is feasible
3) Ease e.g. think its easier than it actually is
4) Consequences e.g. we think losing weight will have bigger effects on our general lives than it actually will
What are the 2 concepts involved with False Hope Syndrome?
Memory Biases e.g. remembering how we felt good when we decided to change and made initial progress, as opposed to remembering the failure
Attributions e.g. attributing our failures to a factor than can be changed next time such as not enough effort, but in reality the failure is due to the unrealistic goal itself
How can failure feeling worse for people with Fixed Mindsets be explained?
Because they tend to choose easier goals
How do people with Growth Mindsets respond to poor grades?
Trying new strategies and investing more effort
How does Maximising influence outcomes?
These people have high standards, alternative search, decision difficulty and reconsiderations of previously dismissed options
Maximisers are more likely to generate Upward Counterfactual thoughts about their decisions, what are these?
Think about how they could have gone better, and therefore experience more regret
Do Maximisers prefer reversible or irreversible decisions, and why?
They prefer reversible decisions e.g. booking a hotel that can be cancelled last minute, which prevents them from adapting to their decision
How does Imposter Syndrome influence outcomes (careers) ?
Has an effect on career planning, striving and motivation, and zaps peoples energy from their career to worrying if they’re good enough
How can Imposter Syndrome be overcome?
As it is associated with lower levels of self-compassion, interventions to enhance self-compassion might help, and also healthy relationships with mentors and other people to get validation
What did Gardner et al (2019) find about coping mechanisms for Imposter Syndrome?
Seeking social support from people outside of their course, as it’s less close to home and means they will compare themselves less
What did Young (2011) say about how to overcome Imposter Syndrome?
To become consciously aware of the conversation in your head, step back and reframe the situation in a way that a non-imposter would
Outline 2 pieces of evidence for how mindsets can change
1) Reading an article describing how intelligence can be developed, leads to persistence in setbacks
2) Receiving positive feedback about effort rather than ability leads to mastery goals rather than performance goals
Student with Low SES or academically at risk benefit the most
What was found when the mindset: Personality can Change was taught?
That the intervention participants had better academic performance, and lower stress and physical illness
Name 2 ways someone can change their maximising mindset or overcome its tendencies and effects
1) Highlighting the opportunity cost
2) Choosing an authority figure that you trust and sticking with their answer, meaning you don’t have FOBO because you didn’t make the decision
What did Brooks (2014) find about reappraising anxiety during karaoke?
When participants reappraised their anxiety as excitement rather than trying to calm down, this led to better performance
What factors can determine if a Stressful task would be interpreted as either a challenge or a threat?
Whether or not you have sufficient resources to cope
If someone has insufficient responses, this turns into a threat, which does what?
Generates stress-related physiological responses and impairs performance
Name the 6 stages in the False Hope Syndrome Model
1) Unrealistic expectations
2) Commitment to change - feelings of control
3) Initial efforts - early success
4) Resistance to change - change stops
5) Failure/abandon attempt
6) Attributions for failure
