What is Carol Dwecks theory called?

What is Carol Dwecks theory called?

Dweck's best known work is about Mindset, which she transformed into a book of the same name. The concept revolves around two different types of 'mindset' – an individual's concepts of their self.

In a fixed mindset, an individual believes their basic qualities – such as intelligence and talents – are fixed traits that cannot be improved or reduced. They believe ability comes from talent rather than from the slow development of skills through learning. People with a fixed mindset tend to spend their time showing off their intelligence and talents instead of developing them.

A growth mindset is the belief that one's basic abilities can be developed through dedication, hard work and application. These students believe that ability and success are due to learning, and learning requires time and effort. The brain is like a muscle which strengthens with exercise. So, in the case of difficulty, an individual with a growth mindset will try harder, adopt a different approach, or seek help and support . One thing they don't do is give up in the face of challenges. People with a growth mindset have a love of learning and understand that resilience is an essential component of accomplishment.

Born: 1946

Nationality: American

Where does she work: Dweck is currently the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and has previously held professorships at Columbia and Harvard universities. She earned her PhD. from Yale University in 1972

To test her theory Dweck conducted nonverbal IQ tests with 400 American school children. The test was easy enough that all of the children could do well in it, but while some of the pupils were praised for their intelligence and told, "you must be smart at this", others were praised for their effort and told they must have "worked really hard."

The pupils were then given a choice of test for the second round: they were told that one choice would be much harder than the first, but that they'd learn a lot from attempting it. The other choice was an easy test, just like the first. Dweck found that 90% those praised for their effort chose the harder test, while a majority of those praised for their intelligence chose the easy one.

She suggests that understanding these different mindsets has powerful implications for learning, teaching and forour understanding of the idea of intelligence. Dweck believes intelligence is not fixed and can be developed

Dweck developed her mindset concept further into Attribution Theory, which examines the different factors we attribute our failures and successes to. This is especially important when working with students, as understanding what they believe they are capable of can help to unlock potential in those who do not think they have any. She asserts that teachers need to praise effort rather than ability.

Dweck describes her work as a bridge between developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology. She examines the self-conceptions (or mindsets) people use to structure the self and guide their behaviour. Her work looks at the origins of these mindsets; their role in motivation and self-regulation, and their impact on achievement and interpersonal processes. 

"I have always been deeply moved by outstanding achievement and saddened by wasted potential." "No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment."

New York Magazine has described Dweck's work as 'seminal' while Matthew Syed, author of Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice, has likewise suggested that the implications of Dweck's theory could be 'radical' if parents and schools adopt the approach of praising effort rather than intelligence.However, there is some concern in education research that Dweck's original concept has become over simplified, and much of the nuance of the theory that made it effective has been lost in practice. John Hattie, in Visible Learning for Teachers suggests that praise in whatever form has little impact on achievement.

As well as her academic books, Dweck has written a lot of accessible explanations and justifications of her different theories, and how they relate to education and pupil achievement. In 2015 she wrote 'The Secret to Raising Smart Kids' for Scientific American, an evocative piece calling on teachers to encourage growth mindsets in their pupils.

Biography

Website

Twitter: Mindset Works

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What is Carol Dwecks theory called?

 

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Carol Dweck is challenging previously held views on the roles of intelligence and success.

What is Carol Dwecks theory called?

(Last Updated On: September 16, 2021)

Psychologist Carol Dweck is considered a pioneering figure in the study of human motivation. She is perhaps best known for her research on implicit theories of intelligence and how mindsets influence motivation and success.

In this article, learn more about her life, work, theories, and influence on psychology.

Early Life and Education

Carol S. Dweck was born on October 17, 1946. She graduated from Barnard College in 1967 and completed her Ph.D. at Yale University in 1972.

Dweck held posts at Columbia, Harvard, and the University at Illinois prior to taking a position as the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University where she continues to work today.

Theories

Dweck is best-known for her research on motivation, personality, and mindsets. She suggests that people who believe that intelligence is innate and unchangeable hold a “fixed” mindset while those who believe that their abilities hinge on training and effort hold a “growth” mindset.

Dweck believes that this tendency to view ability as fixed or malleable can have a profound impact on almost all areas of a person’s life, especially motivation to achieve. Such mindsets, she believes, can also be fostered through interactions during early childhood. Children who are praised for their efforts, as opposed to their innate abilities, are more likely to develop a growth mindset.

Her work also suggests that parents, teachers, and caregivers can help encourage a growth mindset by how they praise children. Praising effort rather than ability leads children to press on in the face of learning challenges rather than give up when things become difficult. Praising intelligence can actually have a negative impact and create a fixed mindset.

Dweck’s work has implications in numerous areas ranging from education and business and sports.

Selected Publications

If you are interested in reading some of Dweck’s writings and research, you can explore some of her published works including journal articles and books:

Other Works:

  • Dweck, C. S. (2008). Can personality be changed? The role of beliefs in personality and change. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(6), 391-394.
  • Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality and Development. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.
  • Elliot, A. J., & Dweck, C. S. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of Competence and Motivation. New York: Guilford.
  • Heckhausen, J., & Dweck, C. S. (Eds.). (1998). Motivation and Self-Regulation Across the Life Span. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  • Heyman, G. D., Dweck, C. S., & Cain, K. M. (1992). Young children’s vulnerability to self-blame and helplessness: Relationship to beliefs about goodness. Child Development, 63, 401-415.
  • Olson, K. R. & Dweck, C. S. (2008). A blueprint for social cognitive development. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(3), 193-202.

Contributions to Psychology

Dweck’s research on mindsets has provided valuable insight into how beliefs about intelligence influence achievement and motivation. Her work has found that these mindsets can have a powerful influence on performance and how people deal with challenges.

Dweck has also received numerous honors and awards for her work including:

  • Being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science in 2003
  • The Donald Campbell Career Achievement Award in Social Psychology from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in 2008
  • The Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association in 2011
  • The James McKeen Cattell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Psychological Science in 2013

Selected Quotes

“After seven experiments with hundreds of children, we had some of the clearest findings I’ve ever seen: Praising children’s intelligence harms their motivation and it harms their performance. How can that be? Don’t children love to be praised? Yes, children love praise. And they especially love to be praised for their intelligence and talent. It really does give them a boost, a special glow—but only for the moment. The minute they hit a snag, their confidence goes out the window and their motivation hits rock bottom. If success means they’re smart, then failure means they’re dumb. That’s the fixed mindset.” (Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, 2006)

“Did I win? Did I lose? Those are the wrong questions. The correct question is: Did I make my best effort?” If so, he says, “You may be outscored but you will never lose.” (Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, 2006)

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.” (Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, 2006)

Sources:

Dweck C. Carol Dweck. Learning and the Adolescent Mind.

Dweck, Carol S. – The Department of Psychology. (n.d.). Stanford University.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.