Part I: ARTICLE SYNOPSIS
- Purpose and/or Hypothesis(es) of the Study: The importance of implicit theories affects the formation and belief in group stereotypes
- Results of the Study: Positive support for the hypothesis.
- Method for testing the hypothesis (5 experiments conducted):
- Measures: Implicit Person Theory Measure and Stereotype Measure.
- Participants: Male and female undergraduate students between the ages of 16 and 42.
- Procedure: Variations on self-reporting questionnaires.
- Implications for the Results: It is possible to understand why one individual engages in social stereotyping more than another.
- Purpose and/or Hypothesis of the Study: Incremental theorists are more willing to socialize with group members that entity theorists.
- Results of the Study: Hypothesis is supported.
- Method for Testing the Hypothesis (2 studies conducted)
- Measures: Theory of Traits Measure.
- Participants: Male and female students between the ages of 11 and 13 of various races.
- Procedure: Self-reporting of trait measures.
- Implications for the Results: The examination of a child’s concepts about the qualities of others may promote understanding of how stereotyping originates and how to lessen it.
____________________________________________________________________________
- Purpose and/or Hypothesis of the Study (5 studies conducted): Mindsets affect how people think about themselves.
- Results of the Study: Hypothesis is supported.
- Method for Testing the Hypothesis:
- Measures: A one-way analysis of variance
- Participants: 55 male and female university students
- Procedure: Self-evaluation reports.
- Implications for the Results: The types of mindsets are “being” and “becoming”, based on whether the individual sees themselves presently or in a state of change. The impact of social comparisons and naturally occurring events on the types may be important.
____________________________________________________________________
- Purpose and/or Hypothesis(es) of the Study: The perception of personal attributes as fixed traits contributes to the belief that understanding behavior relates to those traits.
- Results of the Study: Identical events are understood and dealt with in different ways. Implicit theories consistently predict them.
- Method for Testing the Hypothesis:
- Measures: Implicit Theory of Morality Measure
- Procedure: 3-item questionnaire
- Implications for the Results: There is no right or wrong theory (entity or incremental). However, if an individual holds either one view or the other, it can hold important consequences relating to decisions and self-evaluation.
______________________________________________________________________________
- Purpose and/or Hypothesis of the Study: Low-achieving 7th graders taught to adopt a mindset that intelligence can be trained will achieve higher motivation and math grades.
- Results of the Study: The hypothesis was proven. The control group did not improve in math grades despite other interventions.
- Method for Testing the Hypothesis(es)
- Measures: A one-way analysis of variance
- Participants: 55 male and female university students
- Procedure: Self-evaluation reports.
- Implications for the Results: If a person believes training their intelligence is beneficial, study skills and learning skills improve. _______________________________________________________________________
- Purpose and/or Hypothesis(es) of the Study:
- Results of the Study: The implicit theories students allow resilience after social and academic problems. They show how developing personal characteristics influence favorable outcomes.
- Method for Testing the Hypothesis(es)
- Measures: A one-way analysis of variance
- Participants: 55 male and female university students
- Procedure: Self-evaluation reports.
- Implications for the Results: Students facing the problems of bullying and underachievement can use brief intervention to change their interpretations and take remedial actions.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Part II: APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY / RESEARCH
What current study in Psychology (within the last three years) has been conducted in the area of Mind Set?
- Ingfei Chen, “New Research: Students Benefit from learning That Intelligence is Not Fixed”.July 16, 2014. A study by David Paunesku for part of his PhD dissertation in 2012.
- D Paunesku is a Stanford behavioral scientist.
- The hypothesis was that learning about growth mindset versus brain anatomy will result in higher test scores.
- The hypothesis was tested by having half the students watch a video on basic brain anatomy. The rest read an article about scientific research supporting the ability of the brain to get stronger with exercise. It also noted trying different ways to study. The students were asked to write an encouraging note to an imaginary student about what they had learned.
- The results supported the hypothesis. By the end of spring term, there were encouraging changes, notably in the students with previously low GPAs. The students earning satisfactory grades rose to 49% from 43% the previous semester, a relative gain of 14%.
- The implications or importance of these results are that students can change a downward trajectory and alter the course of studies toward more successful grades. Students will have a greater chance of graduating with this training.
- The findings of this article are consistent with the information in the other required reading. This is not surprising, as Paunesku worked with Carol Dweck and other associates to establish the Stanford Project for Education Research That Scales (PERTS). The group looks to using the internet to conduct randomized, large-scale trials that are controlled. These trials use distilled mindset interventions that are shorter. The small groups have been a criticism of the previous mindset studies.
The study conducted by Paunesku did not address race or socioeconomic conditions of the students. The study by Dweck and Levy (1999) brought the concept that identification or comparison with a stereotype influences mindset. In addition, the concept that Johnson and Stapel (2010) explored was that mindset adapted in the view that it was either in the current state or a state of becoming; this was also not part of the Paunesku hypothesis.
The new information addresses changing the perception of the students from fixed to growth early in their education in an effort to anticipate success based on change in study habits and expectations. Students with even a life-long history of poor self-worth can change their behavior and mindset (Yeager and Dewck, 2012).
- APPLYING RESEARCH FINDINGS:
- OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS: After reading 6 articles on mindset, what are the characteristics associated with a growth mindset? What characteristics are associated with a fixed mindset? Describe and explain.
A growth mindset accepts challenges as opportunities for growth because a person with this mindset is confident in his abilities to be successful. He uses them as a chance to train his brain. If he does not succeed, he accepts this as a learning experience because his self-worth is not dependent on always succeeding. Neither is it based on the perception of others as to his perceived success or failure. He’s not afraid of striving toward a goal, because he sees it as necessary for growth. Negative feedback is only used for information, but for changing his self-image.
A fixed mindset don’t believe they can change their basic worth. The avoid challenges because failure would detract from a positive valuation by others of their worth. This is also the reason this person avoids obstacles, because success would not be worth effort or the possibility of failure and would make no difference in the basic worth. Negative feedback is considered an insult.
- SELF ASSESSMENT: In a well-developed paragraph, discuss your mindset orientation. When answering, consider the following questions: Do you tend to have a fixed or growth mindset? Observe your thinking patterns over a 3-day period. Was your mindset pattern easily identifiable? Do you think your mindset is dependent on the situation you are in? Describe and explain. How difficult do you think it would be to go from a fixed to a growth mindset?
I tend more to a growth mindset. On a daily basis, I look to opportunities in my environment that offer social or mental improvement. While I do indulge in some activities that others may consider wasting my time, I believe stress relief and relaxation are important in achieving my goals overall. If I do not do well on an assignment, I feel badly for a short time, but primarily due to a lost chance at a better class grade. But I not only look at what I did wrong on the assignment, I look at my mindset and behavior that led me to presenting the assignment in that fashion. If I failed to allot the necessary amount of time, didn’t study enough, was preoccupied with other activities, or didn’t ask for clarification, I made a note to myself not to make the same mistakes again. I’m not perfect, or even close to it, but I try as hard as I can without detracting from other important areas of my life.
My mindset is not dependent on the situation I’m in, because I evaluate the circumstance in relation to my own behavior and how I can influence the outcome next time. Since I am much closer to a growth mindset than a fixed one, I can only assume it would be difficult to move from fixed to growth. A poor self-worth and a self-defeating belief that nothing can make you better is not the way I was raised.
- CREATE A PLAN: In thinking about your highest goal, generate a plan using the findings from the Mindset literature to achieve your highest goal. This would need to include a plan for moving from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Use the research findings from the 6 articles to help your plan. What growth mindset exercises would you create to help you make a habit out of growth mindset? Please indicate your highest goal, and indicate how you would proceed. Carry out your exercises for 3 days. Report your observations, challenges, successes, and projections for the future attainment of your highest goal.
My highest goal is to generate the grades necessary to place on the Dean’s list of my school.
I consider my mindset to be primarily one of growth, so the first step I took was to make a list of all the ways improving my grades would change my life. My self-worth would rise, I would appear more successful in the eye of my friends and family, and I would increase my chances of continued academic funding and a more favorable job after graduation. This reinforced my own concept of the ability to change my situation because I deserve it and I can attain it. Next, I set a pattern of behavior to overcome times when a fixed mindset might deter me from my goal. I made alternative plans for times when I would be unproductive or become in defeatist behavior or thoughts. I would surround myself with people who will help me stay focused and reinforce positive behavior. I would see myself as the same type of person I am now as the type of person I want to become in a different environment.
I continued to keep this plan during three days. There were times when I strayed from it, but I didn’t let a fixed mindset creep in. I didn’t compare myself to others who have already attained my goal of higher grades. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, because I already practiced most of the behaviors and thought processes I need. There was one instance where a friend tried to convince me to delay working on this paper, but I was able to resist the temptation. I didn’t feel badly about missing on the social activity because I told myself I was training my brain! I project I will be able to attain and retain my goal in the fall semester.
- WHAT IS MISSING OR NEEDS CONSIDERATION? THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PART (WORTH 5% OF YOUR PAPER GRADE):
There are further questions that need to be explored. One aspect that occurred to me while I was reading about students being able to change their mindset through education about brain malleability and the results of behavioral changes was touched on during several of the studies. Paunesku studied changing GPAs in high school students; however, in today’s society students range all through adulthood. From employees returning to school to increase chances of a promotion to displaced housewives looking for beginning careers, adults of all ages are coming into an environment they left behind them years ago. The mindset of these students must have some degree of a growth category since they had the confidence to attempt a return to higher education, but I theorize their success could be more influenced than high school students given their maturity and life experience. I would like to see studies in this important area of our society.
I tried to email David Paunesku at Stanford and Lisa Sorich Blackwell, Ph.D. at Mindset Works. However, as of today I have not heard back from either of them concerning thoughts or future studies on my question.
