Setting Goals: Mindsets Flashcards
What is entity theory and fixed mindset VS incremental theory and growth mindset?
Entity theory: believes that intelligence is a fixed, unchangeable quality, it is associated with a fixed mindset
Incremental theory: believes intelligence is malleable quality that can change throughout a person’s lifetime, it is associated with a growth mindset
How do the stakes of situations (exams, performance, interactions) differ between fixed and growth mindsets?
Fixed: situations are an evaluation of who I am as a person
Growth: situations are a piece of feedback on my progress
How are success and effort different in fixed vs growth mindsets?
fixed:
Success is when I don’t make any mistakes, when I finish something I think is perfect, when something is easy for me that is hard for others
Effort is evidence that I am not smart or capable
Growth:
Success is when its hard and I really try and can do something, when I work on something a long time and start to figure it out.
Effort is essential for learing and improvement and therefore desirable
What are the two types of achievement goals?
Mastery Goals: focus on learning, improving skills, and personal progress
- associated with better achievement related outcomes
- individuals prefer challenging, learning focused tasks
-foster resilience, persistence, and improved performance
Performance Goals: focus on proving ability and external validation
-individuals prefer easy, performance-based tasks (favour seeming smart)
-can lead to helplessness and setbacks
What goals are associated with fixed vs growth mindset?
Growth -> mastery goals
Fixed –> performance
How do performance goals undermine learning?
When focused on external validation there will be less focus on learning by challengeing yourself, and more focus on seeming smart
STUDY: chemistry students with mastery vs performance goals, mastery goals had better test outcoems mediated by deeper engagement in class
How does a fixed mindest undermine performance following setback?
Less likely to take action to remedy post setback, want to avoid further failure
More likley to compare in downward rather than upward social comparision
A GROWTH mindset individual will reach for a higher social comparison target after setback
When are performance goals most likely to undermine performance? When are they most likely to improve performance?
Performance goals are likely to undermine performance after a setback.
They are helpful for easy, simpler tasks.
How does a fixed mindset undermine performance following negative feedback/failure?
Individuals feel like ability is fixed so why would they try again after negative feedback it would be risk of another failure
What kind of strategies are individuals with a fixed mindset likely to engage in to make themselves feel better after failure feedback, and why is thiscounterproductive?
They are likely to participate in downward rather than upward social comparison
This is counterproductive because they are missing out on potentially valuable tips for a task they did poorly on
Give some examples of growth vs fixed mindset studies?
Growth mindset is more likely to take a remedial english class after flopping an exam.
Fixed mindset is less likely because of fear of future failure.
Fixed mindset more likely to engage in downward comparision, larger drop in SE, more downward the comparision.
What is self-handicapping?
protecting one’s self image by enaging in self-defeating behaviours that provide an excuse for later failure
- This is common in fixed mindsets
What are destiny vs growth beliefs? How do they affect relationships?
Destiny beliefs: Things are fated, meant to be
–> people are meant to be or not, when things get hard it is not fate.
Growth beliefs: Things take work, and growth, and change.
–> relationships take work and growing together
Where do destiny and growth come from?
Childhood, parental behaviour, cultural influence
Summarize the key findings of the Mueller & Dweck (1996) study on the effects of praise
STUDY: children 10-12y/o children performing a test of problem-solving
Praised either for their ability or their effort or just positive feedback (control)
Then they choose between subsequent problems (either performance goals-easy problems or mastery goals-harder problems)
RESULT: Children praised for ability were more likely to choose easy problems (performancre goals) whereas children praised for effort were more likely to choose mastery goals (harder problems)
Then a second set of problems and failure feedback
Children previously praised for ability attributed failure to lack of ability and had less desire to keep trying and less enjoyment
Children previously praised for effort attributed failure to lack of effort
Then a third set of problems
Children in ability condition declined in performance
Children in effort praise condition improved
More RESULTS:
Children in ability praise condition were less likely to seek out infor on useful strategies, more likely to misrepresent their score to others
More likely to express a fixed mindset re: intelligence
How did they manipulate praise in this study?
They had praise for their ability, their effort, or just positive feedback
How do the different types of praise affect adoption of performance vs. mastery goals?
Praise of ability led to less desire to try problems again and attribution of failure to lack of ability, more likely to choose easier problems
Praise of effort led to attributing failure to lack of effort and more likely to try harder problems.
How do the different types of praise relate to mindsets, the type of information children seek out following negative feedback, and dishonesty?
Ability praise is related to fixed mindset, and children not seeking out help
Effort praise is associated with growth mindset and seeking help with hard problem
According to mindset theory, what role does practice play in the development of ability?
Argues that allow there are some innate abilities, effort, proper application of strategy, and good mentorship us essential for one’s full potential
How do innate differences in ability factor in?
Growth is possible wherever we start, but different people will have different innate abilities
Describe the mindset intervention developed by Blackwell and colleagues (2007). What were the consequences of this intervention?
A study of low performing grade 7 students, two conditions: one where intelligence is taught to be malleable and one where intelligence is based on memory.
RESULT: students in experimental group wer emore likely to endorse this growth mindset and to improve in academic performance. 27% of students in experimental group spontanseously citied y their teacher showing positive change, compared to 9% in control group
What are the criticisms of Blackwell’s study?
Meta-analysis of studies on growth mindsets found that there was no overall effect. But, some evidence that academically high-risk and economically disadvantaged students may benefit from intervention.
What are some common misconceptions of mindset theory?
- Mindset theory is not just about praise, it is also about trying new strategies and understand that effort needs to be effectively directed
-Dweck thinks people may be implementing a false growth mindset
-Cultivating growth mindset is not about telling students they can do anything– involves giving them tools like implementation plans.
-importance of deliberate practice
What is deliberate practice?
Targeting specific aspect of performance
Clear and measurable goals
Immediate feedback
Staying in zone of proximal development
Expert guidance
How might “mixed messages” delivered by parents, teachers, supervisors, etc. undermine development of the growth mindset?
Ie. company may have a mission statement about growth mindset but engage in practices that undermine these mindsets
ex) no opportunity to improve skills
Some interventions may backfire if students see themselves as “in need of help” and “low ability”
Summarize the structure and findings of the National Study of Learning Mindsets described in class
Developed a 1hr module that can be delivered online delivered to nationally representative sample of high schools in US
Focus on lower-achieving students entering, preresgistration to avoid “cherry picking” claims
Effort alone is not enough- emphasized importance of strategy
RESULTS: reduced prevalence of fixed beliefs, higher GPAS in end of ninth grade
Effect size of 0.1SD, reduction of 11% of students who at risk of not graduating
Some evidence that intervention more effective when behavioural norm among peers supportive of growth mindset beliefs
