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Explore the effects of intelligence and effort praise in little league baseball, drawing parallels to learning math in school. Discover how different mindsets influence player performance and confidence.
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Week 2: Who’s Intelligent an analysis through the lens of baseball
Since the findings presented in Dweck’s article, “The Perils and Promise of Praise,” are based on the psychology of the students, it makes sense that these principles would apply to children learning to play baseball in little league as they would to children learning to do math in school.
The article makes a distinction between two kinds of praise and their effects on motivation. One is praise of intelligence and the other, praise of effort. talent effort
For example, if a student were to get a problem right, a teacher who wants to praise effort rather than intelligence might say, “Good job working through that problem until you understood it,” as opposed to “Good job understanding that, you are smart.” player coach hit, effort talent Good job hanging in there until you got a pitch to hit Good job, you are a great hitter
Each type of praise gives the student a particular view of his or her own intelligence. While praise of intelligence causes the student to regard his or her intelligence as fixed, praise of effort leads students to believe their intelligence cangrow. player skill talent player skill effort players skill
The two mindsets about intelligence then cause two different reactions to a challenge. For example, when a math curriculum becomes more difficult, a student with a fixed-mindset may think “Maybe I’m not as good at math as I thought.” While the growth-minded student thinks “I’m going to have to study to understand this.” skill league’s pitching faster player Maybe I’m not as good a hitter as I thought player I’m going to have to go to the batting cages I
Confidence plays a big role in a baseball player’s performance. It is often the cause of a player’s streakiness. He might go 8 for 10, strike out twice, lose his confidence, and then not get a hit for 10 or 15 more at-bats. A fixed-view of skill could cause a baseball player who is confident and therefore thrives on a 75-foot diamond to become frustrated, question his ability, and give up when he moves onto a 90-foot diamond and does not immediately adjust. This is analogous to fixed-minded algebra student mentioned in the article who used to thrive in math but hits a self-imposed wall and declines in performance.
