Succeed Ch. 2 Flashcards
beliefs and goals
- Beliefs are important influences on the goals we adopt
- Our beliefs about our abilities influence what we think is possible
what is most important for developing an ability
Whether we think we can develop an ability is most important
implicit theories
personal beliefs about the kind of thing a given characteristic or quality is
entity theory of intelligence
the belief that a person has a certain amount of intelligence and that there isn’t anything anyone can do about it
incremental theory of intelligence
the belief that intelligence is a malleable quality
are most Americans entity or incremental theorists?
Most Americans believe mathematical ability is fixed, but they are split when it comes to intelligence
people who believe that personality traits are fixed:
become overly concerned with receiving validation
people who believe that intelligence is fixed:
avoid challenging goals because they prefer to make choices that validate their intelligence
inverse effort rule
if you have to work hard at something, you aren’t good at it
Dweck et al ESL & implicit theories study
asked university students whose English could use improvement if they would be interested in enrolling in a remedial English proficiency program. Found that only the incremental theorists showed any interest in the course
Dweck et al. children’s personality and implicit theories study
Found that children who believed that their personality couldn’t be changed were more focused on being popular and avoiding rejection, whereas those who believed they could improve and grow as a person tended to choose goals that were about developing relationships
mate-seeking and implicit theories
- People who believe their personality is fixed look for a mate who will seem like the perfect match and will leave when the relationship becomes too argumentative or critical
- People who believe their personalities can change are more likely to prefer a partner that challenges them
Beer shyness and implicit theories study
found that shy people who believed their shyness was fixed opted for a video where they would be paired with someone more shy to make themselves look better, while people who believed they could change aspects of their shyness were more likely to choose a video where they would be paired with someone less shy to help them grow
is the entity or incremental theory correct?
the incremental theory is correct. the entity theory is wrong
why do smart parents tend to have smart kids?
because they give their kids more chances to develop their intelligence. When impoverished kids get these same opportunities, they too become smarter
Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP)
provides a rich educational experience to primarily poor minority students. Found that more that more than 80% of KIPP students perform at or above their grade level in both math & reading
Dweck incremental theory intervention study
found that 7th grade students in a you-can-get-smarter theory intervention group showed an improvement in math scores, while those in the control group showed a decrease in math scores
influence of genetics on intelligence
Even if genes play a role in determining how much intelligence you start with, that doesn’t necessarily predict what you end up with
the unconscious mind and goals
- The majority of our goals are unconscious
- The unconscious mind has greater processing power, so we work best when as much of what we are doing can be delegated to the unconscious mind as possible
how are goals triggered?
by cues in the environment
what kinds of cues trigger goals?
- words related to the goal
- the presence of means to achieve a goal
- other people, particularly those who are close to you and know you want to pursue a particular goal
Shah et al. subliminal messaging and unconscious goals study
found that when students were subliminally exposed to their father’s name before completing a set of difficult problems, those students who associated Dad with the goal of high achievement worked harder and performed better. The same trend can be found with inhibiting goals
goal contagion
the goals of others can serve as a trigger for one’s own goals
what goals are contagious?
goals are only contagious if they are seen as desirable and feel right to you
what types of goals are unconscious?
- goals that we have consciously adopted
- goals that we see in a positive light
