It’s natural for parents to praise their children, but offering this praise could actually backfire, according to New Science.
In the study, researchers at Michigan State University looked at 123 children who were about 7. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset” (believing that you can work harder to get smarter), or a “fixed mindset” (believing that your intelligence is unable to change). They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded.
Based on the data they collected, the researchers concluded that children with a growth mindset were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake, and in turn were more likely to improve their performance by paying closer attention to the task after making an error.
While previous research has shown that people with a fixed mindset didn’t want to admit they had made a mistake, this study found that children with a fixed mindset were able to- “bounce back” after making an error, but only if they gave their full attention to the mistakes. “The main implication(暗示) here is that we should pay close attention to our mistakes and use them as opportunities to learn.” study author Hans Schroder told Science Daily.
For parents, the lessons are clear-if a child hands you an A+ test, don’t say “You’re so smart!”
Instead, say “Wow, that studying really paid off!” or “You clearly mastered this material-way to go!” Note the effort, not the intelligence.
Second, focus on using errors to work together and learn. Many teachers and parents avoid addressing children’s mistakes, telling them “It’s OK. You’ll get it next time...”,without giving them the opportunity to figure out what went wrong. Dr. Schroder says, “Instead, it’s better to reassure(安慰) children that mistakes happen, and to pay attention and work to figure out where and how they made the mistakes.”
【小题1】How was the data collected during the research?| A．By counting children’s mistakes. |
| B．By recording children’s brain activity. |
| C．By asking children fast-paced questions. |
| D．By testing children’s intelligence. |
| A．A boy who manages to correct every mistake by heart. |
| B．A girl who believes her mistakes are made by chance. |
| C．A boy who keeps an idea that he has a gift for studying. |
| D．A girl who thinks she can get A+ without any effort. |
| A．Giving examples. | B．Listing facts. |
| C．Making a comparison. | D．Using famous sayings. |
| A．Parents should avoid talking with child about his mistakes. |
| B．Parents should discuss the mistakes with their child patiently. |
| C．Parents should ignore the mistakes and believe he will do better. |
| D．Parents should compare his mistakes with others’ and blame him. |
