The Argument
On page 96, Mr. Shenk discusses a study on how children react to praise for their efforts. Why does praising a child for their hard works generate a different result than praising them for their innate ability? Why does praising kids for their hard work create hardworking kids while praising them for their brains makes them lazy? Relate your answer to a topic discussed during our ecology unit and a biology theme.
Josh Gerber (grbr_jsh@yahoo.com)
Children react differently to praise for hardwork versus innate ability because the child uses associative learning. The child, like many animals who use associative learning, connects the parent's adoration to whatever is being praised. In the case in praising hardwork, the child is encouraged to work harder and smarter in his or her studies. This promotes positive feedback for the child to increase his or her potential. Shenk discusses that most people don't, "Come close to their true intellectual potential" (34). More encouragement for the child will allow growth and development with his or her intelligence and overall capability. Furthermore, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences states, "Infants who processed visual information more efficiently and had mothers who more frequently encouraged them to attend to properties, objects, and events in the home environment in the first 6 months of life excelled in verbal development during their second year and scored higher on a conventional psychometric assessment of intelligence at 4 years" (Bornstein) This study quantifies the effects of praise for hardwork over innate ability.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, feeding a child praise for innate ability does not give the child motivation to improve on his or her abilities. Instead, the child soon realizes he or she is special and gifted. This mindset focuses the child on arrogance and condescension rather than ambition and enthusiasm. In a study by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, Shenk explains, "The more a person believes that abilities can be developed, the greater the success that person will eventually enjoy" (48). This groundbreaking study shows the strong need to give a child encouragement over saying he or she is born with a skill. This form of parenting does not allow a child to use problem solving, which, with age, will be a necessary skill to grow to his or her fullest potential.
This concept can be applied to the biological theme of regulation. Just like insulin regulates the blood sugar levels when they increase, parents are responsible for child regulation. Their praise, for hardwork or innate ability, causes a profound effect on the child's intellectual potential.
http://www.pnas.org/content/82/21/7470.abstract?sid=7e403ac0-acf0-4298-a9b9-a41c584f341c
Josh LeVay (blevay@comcast.net)
blah blah
ReplyDelete