topic 1 - Gunderson et al

Question 1

what is this study based on?

Answer 1

motivational framework as well as person and process praise

Question 2

what theory is this study related to?

Answer 2

Dweck’s mindset theory

Question 3

what is this studies aim?

Answer 3

Gunderson et al investigated the use of praise by parents of children aged 14 to 38 month in a natural environment. They looked at the categories of praise that parents gave their children and what type of praise was most used. They also looked at whether person praise or process praise can be a predictor of a childs motivational framework 5 years later.

Question 4

what was the procedure of this study?

Answer 4

The study focused on a group of children aged 14 to 38 months old and they looked at how their parents praised them at home. The researchers looked at a child’s gender and influences of the type of praise later on in life.

in total 29 boys and 24 girls with their caregivers took part in the study. Of these children 64% were white, 17% were African-American, 11% were hispanic and 8% were from multiracial backgrounds.

Neither those who were collecting the data or the participants knew that praise was being studied. The participants were told the study was about language development.

therefore it was a double-blind study.

Question 5

what were the results?

Answer 5

On average 3% of parents comments were related to praise. Process praise was 18% of all praise and person praise was 16%, showing similar proportions.

There were gender differences in praise as 24.4% of boys were process praise compared with 10.3% for girls.

Question 6

what was the conclusion?

Answer 6

There was a clear relationship between parents use of process praise and a child later development of their motivational framework. However, the studies aims were only partially supported due to the fact that the study did not find that parental use of person praise led to a fixed motivational framework. Consequently, researchers were able to find that boys received more process praise than girls sot here were gender differences in the way each gender was praised.

Question 7

what was the strengths of this study?

Answer 7

1. the study shows that Dweck’s finding in experimental studies where the studies that are in an experimental environment can coincide with natural environment results.
2. Another strength is that the researchers were able to videotape and transcribe the data.
3. Another strength is that the parents and the researchers did not know what was being tested therefore the results were not bias.

Question 8

what was the weaknesses of this study

Answer 8

1. However, the ethics of this study should be criticised as the participants were deceived. However if the study was debriefed then this may be ethically acceptable.
2. Parents may have been changed their style of praise from being watched and the praise still might not be natural and still may lack some validity.