Transcript Stereotype Threat and Implicit Theories: The Effects on

Mindsets:
Developing Talent Through a Growth Mindset
Winning Scotland Foundation
September 19, 2008
“I don’t divide the world into the
weak and the strong, or the successes
and the failures… I divide the world
into the learners and nonlearners.”
- Benjamin Barber
Mindsets
• Fixed Mindset: Intelligence/talent is a
fixed trait
…Myth of the “natural”
• Growth Mindset: Intelligence is a
malleable quality; a potential that can
be developed
…Talent is a starting point
Mindsets
• Which mindset is correct?
• Which mindset is most popular?
• Do people hold the same mindsets across
different areas?
• Are the mindsets related to people’s ability?
• Can mindsets be changed?
How the Mindsets Work?
The Mindset Rules
Rule #1
Fixed Mindset:
LOOK SMART OR TALENTED AT
ALL COSTS
Growth Mindset:
LEARN, LEARN, LEARN
Times of Transition
Mindsets
Looking Smart vs. Learning
Fixed Mindset
“The main thing I want when I do my
school work is to show how good I am at
it.”
Growth Mindset
“It’s much more important for me to
learn things in my classes than it is to get
the best grades.”
Where Does This Lead?
Math Grades
77
76.5
76
75.5
75
74.5
74
73.5
73
72.5
72
growth
Fixed
Growth
fixed
Fall
Year Spring Year Fall Year Spring Year2
1
1
2
Pre-Med Study
Pre-Med Chemistry Grades
3.1
2.8
2.5
2.2
Fixed
Growth
Hong Kong
University of Hong Kong
Interest in English Course
Who Chooses to Repair a Crucial Deficiency?
8
7
6
5
4
3
FIXED
GROWTH
Scott Forstall & The iPhone
Tiger Woods
• Youngest Masters
winner
• Lowest score ever
• Took apart his game
and restructured it.
Rule #2
Fixed: DON’T WORK TOO HARD
“To tell the truth, when I work hard at my school
work it makes me feel like I’m not very smart.”
Growth: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY
“The harder you work at something, the better
you’ll be at it.”
• High effort=low ability: Worst belief
anyone can have
• This is why many gifted athletes fail
Effort Beliefs Predict Performance in
College Soccer
Measures
• Athletic ability is ____% natural talent and
____% effort/practice
• Players were assigned 2 points for each goal
scored and 1 point for each assist that
resulted in a goal
• None of the participants were goalkeepers.
Correlation Between
Effort Beliefs and Points Earned
Belief in Effort Predicts Higher Performance Over the Season
Rule #3
IN THE FACE OF SETBACKS…
Fixed Mindset:
CONCEAL MISTAKES OR DEFICIENCIES
Growth Mindset:
EMBRACE MISTAKES, CONFRONT
DEFICIENCIES
Mistakes = Lack of Ability
After a failure…
Fixed Mindset:
“I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”
“I would try not to take this subject ever again.”
“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
Growth Mindset:
“I would work harder in this class from now on.”
“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”
REPAIRING SELF-ESTEEM
Level of Strategies
Examined
Comparing Ourselves to Those
Below Us or Above Us?
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
FIXED
GROWTH
Practicing Your Strength or Weakness
Percentage
Percentage Selecting Tutorial on the Topic They Failed
100
80
60
40
20
0
FIXED 52%
GROWTH 90%
CHRIS HOY
IN 2005, HIS SPECIALTY WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE
OLYMPICS; HE HAD TO REINVENT HIMSELF.
Chris Hoy
Why he surpassed the “talented” kids
“Maybe because they were so gifted and
won so easily, they didn’t really have the
desire to work hard when they had to, and
they also didn’t like the feeling of losing
when it happened.”
From Orr & Kemp, “Be a Winner”
Deflecting the Blame
• Sergio Garcia
• John McEnroe
• Colin Montgomerie
COLIN MONTGOMERIE
Putting is not a strong feature of his game.
He is noted for his lack of focus, and quite often becomes distracted by
seemingly very minor incidents.
When not playing well, tantrums and blaming others.
Mindset and Flow
Racing Car Drivers
Mindset
Is Athletic Ability Fixed?
• 1. You have a certain level of athletic ability, and
you cannot really do much to change that.
• 2. Your core athletic ability cannot really be
changed.
• 3. You can learn new things, but you can't really
change your basic athletic ability.
Mindset and Flow
Growth Mindset Predicts More In-the-Zone Races
Correlation Between
Mindset and Flow
Mindset Predicts Loss of Self-Consciousness
Where Do Mindsets Come From?
Messages We Send
Praise Sends A Message
Intelligence Praise: “That’s a really good
score. You must be smart at this.”
Effort/Process Praise: “That’s a really good
score. You must have tried really hard.”
Effects of Intelligence vs. Effort
Praise
• Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth
• Goals: Looking smart vs. Learning
After Difficult Trial:
• Motivation: Low vs. High
• Performance: Decreased vs. Increased
Number of problems solved on
Trial 1 (before failure) and
Trial 3 (after failure).
6.5
6
Effort Praise
Control Praise
Intelligence Praise
5.5
5
4.5
Trial 1
Trial 3
Lying
Students who misrepresented their scores
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Intelligence
Control
Type of Praise Given
Effort
College Coaches Asks…
Where are the coachable athletes?
Can Mindsets Be Changed?
How Intelligence (Talent) is
Portrayed
Change in Math Grades
Blackwell, Dweck, & Trzesniewski, 2007
3
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.2
Time 3 (PostIntervention)
Time 2 (PreIntervention)
Time 1
Control
Growth
Percent Identified as
Increasing in Motivation
30
27
25
20
15
10
9
5
0
Control
Growth
Brainology
Visit to Brain Lab
Mad Scientist
Brain Experiments
The Learning Brain
Have you changed your mind about
anything?
• Yes … I imagine neurons making
connections in my brain and I feel like I am
learning something. (biggie)
• My favorite thing from Brainology is the
neurons part where when u learn something
there are connections and they keep
growing. I always picture them when I’m in
school (khadija)
On a personal level the belief in
growth allows us to:
• Embrace learning.
• Welcome challenges, mistakes, and
feedback
• Understand the role of effort in creating
talent
At the team level, a growth
mindset staff:
• Portrays skills as acquirable
• Values passion, effort, improvement (and
teamwork), not just natural talent
• Presents staff as mentors vs. judges
Thank you!
ANDY MURRAY
“When you’re playing against guys who are really consistent, you have to
find three or four ways to win points, and not just with your serve,” says
Murray of his multi-dimensional arsenal.
Brother, Jamie, was the “natural.”
Changing
Mindsets
in
Organizations
(Peter Heslin & colleagues)
Before Workshop
• Fixed mindset managers don’t notice
improvement--first impressions last
• Fixed mindset managers don’t mentor their
employees as much--people can’t change
• Fixed mindset managers can’t take criticism
Mindset Workshop for Managers
• Scientific article and video on how the brain
grows with learning throughout life
• Exercises to instill a growth mindset
After
After receiving a growth mindset workshop,
managers showed greater:
• Openness to employee change
• Willingness to mentor and higher quality of
mentoring
• Openness to critical feedback