Mindsets

Question 1

What is a mindset?

Answer 1

A fixed mental attitude or disposition that pre-determines a persons responses to and interpretations of a situation

Question 2

State 3 differences between a Growth Mindset and a Fixed Mindset

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What goals are people with a Growth Mindset vs people with a Fixed mindset likely to pursue?

Answer 3

Growth Mindset pursue Mastery Goals, Fixed Mindset pursue Performance Goals

Question 4

How can these mindsets influence educational achievement?

Answer 4

Those with Growth Mindsets found maths performance improved over time, and they respond better to setbacks

Question 5

What other aspects can mindsets influence, other than education?

Answer 5

Dieting and Athletics

Question 6

In relation to self-regulation, what did mindsets influence?

Answer 6

1) Participants willingness to attempt challenging tasks

2) Participants effort they put in to them

Question 7

What was found about the Growth Mindset intervention in Mrazrek study?

Answer 7

Participants in this group interpreted fatigue as a sign of putting in more effort as opposed to withdrawing effort

Question 8

State 3 differences between a Maximiser and a Satisficer

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What do Maximisers have (4 letter symbolism)?

Answer 9

FOBO = fear of a better option, worried that whatever they choose could have been better

Question 10

Why is too much choice bad? What evidence is there for this?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Is Maximising adaptive?

Answer 11

These people achieve objectively better outcomes, apply to more jobs, offered $7k more in salary, and have more job offers

Question 12

Can Maximising be maladaptive?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Answer 13

The belief that you aren’t as competent as you appear to others, and the fear that others will find out

Question 14

What do people with Imposter Syndrome believe that their success is attributed to?

Answer 14

Not their ability, but external sources such as luck

Question 15

What do people with Imposter Syndrome believe about when they get praise or approval?

Answer 15

That this is just an indication that they have managed to deceive or trick others

Question 16

What 3 reasons were there for Imposter feelings, according to 212 students at a European University

Answer 16

1) Fear of failure
2) Fear of success (having responsibility increases chancres of someone seeing you’re just “winging it”)
3) Low self-esteem

Question 17

What other 2 reasons were there for Imposter feelings, according to 107 second and third year undergrads from the UK?

Answer 17

1) Perceived parental control e.g. parent decide things for you
2) Low self-esteem

Question 18

What are the consequences of Imposter Syndrome?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What are the 4 stages of the Model of Action Phase?

Answer 19

1) Predecisional Phase
2) Preactional Phase
3) Actional Phase
4) Postactional Phase

Question 20

Why don’t we learn from our mistakes when we seat goals?

Answer 20

Because we have unrealistic expectations

Question 21

Outline 4 of these unrealistic expectations

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What are the 2 concepts involved with False Hope Syndrome?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

How can failure feeling worse for people with Fixed Mindsets be explained?

Answer 23

Because they tend to choose easier goals

Question 24

How do people with Growth Mindsets respond to poor grades?

Answer 24

Trying new strategies and investing more effort

Question 25

How does Maximising influence outcomes?

Answer 25

These people have high standards, alternative search, decision difficulty and reconsiderations of previously dismissed options

Question 26

Maximisers are more likely to generate Upward Counterfactual thoughts about their decisions, what are these?

Answer 26

Think about how they could have gone better, and therefore experience more regret

Question 27

Do Maximisers prefer reversible or irreversible decisions, and why?

Answer 27

They prefer reversible decisions e.g. booking a hotel that can be cancelled last minute, which prevents them from adapting to their decision

Question 28

How does Imposter Syndrome influence outcomes (careers) ?

Answer 28

Has an effect on career planning, striving and motivation, and zaps peoples energy from their career to worrying if they’re good enough

Question 29

How can Imposter Syndrome be overcome?

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What did Gardner et al (2019) find about coping mechanisms for Imposter Syndrome?

Answer 30

Seeking social support from people outside of their course, as it’s less close to home and means they will compare themselves less

Question 31

What did Young (2011) say about how to overcome Imposter Syndrome?

Answer 31

To become consciously aware of the conversation in your head, step back and reframe the situation in a way that a non-imposter would

Question 32

Outline 2 pieces of evidence for how mindsets can change

Answer 32

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

Question 33

What was found when the mindset: Personality can Change was taught?

Answer 33

That the intervention participants had better academic performance, and lower stress and physical illness

Question 34

Name 2 ways someone can change their maximising mindset or overcome its tendencies and effects

Answer 34

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

Question 35

What did Brooks (2014) find about reappraising anxiety during karaoke?

Answer 35

When participants reappraised their anxiety as excitement rather than trying to calm down, this led to better performance

Question 36

What factors can determine if a Stressful task would be interpreted as either a challenge or a threat?

Answer 36

Whether or not you have sufficient resources to cope

Question 37

If someone has insufficient responses, this turns into a threat, which does what?

Answer 37

Generates stress-related physiological responses and impairs performance

Question 38

Name the 6 stages in the False Hope Syndrome Model

Answer 38

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