In one experiment, adults praised one group of children for good performance on difficult problems by saying, "You must be smart at these problems," while telling another set of children, "You must have worked hard at these problems." What happened when the children were given an even more difficult task?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The experiment found that the children who were praised for working hard performed better on the more difficult task. This is because they were more likely to view their success as a result of effort rather than innate ability, leading them to persist even in the face of challenge. On the other hand, the children who were praised for being smart may have been more likely to give up or feel discouraged when faced with a new, more challenging task that they did not immediately succeed at.

In One Experiment, Adults Praised One Group of Children for Good