{"id":1360,"date":"2016-11-28T12:00:32","date_gmt":"2016-11-28T12:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/blog\/?p=1360"},"modified":"2018-01-01T16:02:21","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T16:02:21","slug":"parent-child-interactions-forming-beliefs-about-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/parent-child-interactions-forming-beliefs-about-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"Parent-Child Interactions: Forming Beliefs About Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdobeStock_104015726_Credit\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It is common knowledge that parents play a vital role in their children\u2019s development. However, we are slowly coming to understand just how vital this role is.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teachers understand this connection better than anyone; we interact with our students\u2019 parents, and we also see how parents interact with their children. We teachers in turn are able to make anecdotal connections between parenting styles and how children carry themselves in and out of school.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research is catching up to what teachers have known since the earliest days of the profession. Scientists have begun to tease out certain traits that help children do well in school and in life, and are going one step further to investigate how these traits are developed, including the role that caretakers might play.<\/span><\/p>\n

One recent example of this growing body of research examines the development of a child\u2019s intelligence mindset–the belief about whether intelligence is fixed or malleable–which has been found to influence motivation and learning. When faced with obstacles or difficulties, those with a growth mindset, who believe that their intelligence can be improved through effort, tend to persevere [<\/span>1,2]<\/span>. They do not view obstacles as discouraging, but rather, as informative and motivating [<\/span>3]<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those with a fixed mindset, on the other hand, do not belief that intelligence can be improved with effort. Thus, those with a fixed mindset tend to be discouraged–not informed and motivated–by obstacles.<\/span><\/p>\n

How, though, might parents instill a growth mindset in their children? In a paper published this spring, Kyla Haimovitz and Carol Dweck seek to investigate just that [<\/span>4]<\/span>. They hypothesize that it is in fact not the parents\u2019 intelligence mindset that influences that of the child; an adult\u2019s <\/span>intelligence<\/span><\/i> mindset is all but invisible and thus not readily adopted by the child. Rather, it is a parent\u2019s <\/span>failure<\/span><\/i> mindset–their view of failure as being either enhancing or debilitating–that becomes visible to a child through interactions, and which thus plays a larger role in shaping children\u2019s belief about their intelligence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parents\u2019 Intelligence Mindset Isn\u2019t Visible<\/b><\/p>\n

The series of studies presented in the paper show some important correlations. To begin with, the researchers found no significant correlation between parents\u2019 reports of their own intelligence mindsets and the children\u2019s perception of their parent\u2019s intelligence mindsets; children could not accurately perceive whether or not their parents viewed intelligence as something that is fixed or as something that can be improved. Just as the authors had previously guessed, parents\u2019 intelligence mindsets are invisible to their children.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional findings from these studies provide some insight into why parents\u2019 intelligence mindsets might not be seen by their children. When presented with the hypothetical situation of their children bringing home a failing grade, parents were given options to respond in two primary ways: to show concern over their children\u2019s poor performance, or instead, to show concern over how their children could use the failing grade as a learning opportunity (the latter of which would be more in-line with a growth mindset). These studies found that parents\u2019 view of intelligence did not predict how they would respond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if parents believe that intelligence can be improved through effort, they still may respond to the performance of their children in ways that are not representative of this outlook. This is a fundamental concept for this paper; children do not see and are thus not influenced by their parents\u2019 beliefs, only by their actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parents\u2019 Failure Mindset Is Visible<\/b><\/p>\n

If not their intelligence mindset, how might parents influence their children\u2019s view on intelligence? The authors suggest it is the parents\u2019 failure mindset–their view of failure as being either debilitating or enhancing–which is visible to their children, and which thus plays a larger role in forming children\u2019s beliefs about intelligence. Unlike parents\u2019 intelligence mindsets, children were in fact able to predict what their parents thought about failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parents\u2019 Failure Mindset Predicts Their Response<\/b><\/p>\n

Presumably, parents make their failure mindset visible to their children through their reactions and responses in various situations. More precisely, the studies found that parents\u2019 failure mindset predicts how they respond to their children in situations where their children have done poorly. The more that parents believe that failure is debilitating, the more likely they are to react with concerns of their child\u2019s performance or ability, perhaps by pitying their children, doubting their ability, and\/or comforting them. On the other hand, parents with a failure-is-enhancing perspective are more likely to respond to their children\u2019s failure with support for improvement, discussing with them what they could have learned from the experience and how they can get better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parents\u2019 Responses Predict Child\u2019s Intelligence Mindset<\/b><\/p>\n

Consider the message that these reactions send to a child. Might these reactions play a role in shaping what children think about their own abilities? Haimovitz and Dweck\u2019s findings support this hypothesis. Of the variables measured, the strongest predictor of children\u2019s intelligence mindset was parents\u2019 response to their failure: either focusing on the children\u2019s performance or on how their children could improve. <\/span><\/p>\n

While a parent\u2019s failure mindset is also a strong predictor of a child\u2019s intelligence mindset, parents\u2019 failure mindset is an even stronger predictor of how they tend to react in these scenarios, which then goes on to most strongly predict the child\u2019s intelligence mindset.<\/span><\/p>\n

Parent\u2019s Failure Mindset<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2193<\/span><\/p>\n

Parent\u2019s Response to Child\u2019s Failure<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2193<\/span><\/p>\n

Child\u2019s Intelligence Mindset<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it that a parent\u2019s response is such a strong predictor of the child\u2019s intelligence mindset? <\/span><\/p>\n

The studies reveal that when parents place such a strong emphasis on their children\u2019s performance, children tend to believe that this is how their parents want them to prove their abilities: through their performance. The researchers suggest it is this perception of their parents\u2019 beliefs that leads children to believe that intelligence is fixed. Parents\u2019 strong emphasis on their children\u2019s performance leads the children to believe that it is the performance that is most important, and not their learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Takeaway 1 – Take On a Learning-Orientation (While Maintaining Expectations)<\/b><\/p>\n

Parents\u2019 responses to their children\u2019s performances are powerful predictors of the children\u2019s belief about the malleability of intelligence. If we are to interpret these correlations favorably, we ought to use occasions of poor performance as learning opportunities for our children. We should let them know that these scenarios present opportunities to get better.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also worth mentioning that, in addition to the importance of maintaining a focus on learning and improvement, studies have found that, academically, parents\u2019 expectations for their children\u2019s performances predict the children\u2019s performances [<\/span>5]<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is a fine line that parents and teachers need to walk: they must maintain expectations while also conveying the notion that poor performances are not indicators of ability, but rather, opportunities to learn how to improve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Takeaway 2 – Work through the Parents<\/b><\/p>\n

While the findings in this paper highlight a specific and important correlation, Haimovitz and Dweck also reference the large body of work that underscores the importance of the role that parents play in their children\u2019s development [<\/span>6,7,8]<\/span>. Schools may be able to reinforce what they are doing by more deeply involving parents, encouraging them to strengthen at home various aspects of what the teachers are working on at school. <\/span><\/p>\n

I envisage a (perhaps utopian) future wherein schools, especially those focusing on early childhood, view building the capacity of caregivers as vital to their work in enabling their students to realize their full potential. Many practitioners might understand why this would be desirable, and I believe that research will continue to highlight the strong influence that caretakers have on children\u2019s developmental trajectories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Takeaway 3 – The Earliest Years Matter<\/b><\/p>\n

After having a few perspective-altering \u201cAha!\u201d moments on how formative the earliest years of life are, I tend to view most everything through this lens. This is especially the case here. The average age of the children from the studies in this paper was about ten years old. By that age, children have already developed a belief about whether or not their intelligence is fixed or malleable, and this mindset in turn has already had an effect on their learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is doubtful that children develop this belief overnight. In fact, I would argue that they begin to formulate their beliefs as early as they can understand, which occurs well before they can speak, and is then shaped through the daily interactions they have with others. It has been shown that the first years lay a crucial foundation for development across the lifespan, and it is during this time that we must also be deliberate about what we convey to our children about many things–including how to handle failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

Future research will continue to underscore what many practitioners already know: in order to best enable children to reach their full potential, parents must be made a part of the equation. The paper presented in this article sheds some light on one aspect of parenting, however small, yet greatly formative. If these findings are at all indicative of the potential that lies in the interactions that caretakers have with their children, supporting parents in supporting their children from day one shows immense promise in improving children\u2019s outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. <\/span>Child Development, 78<\/span><\/i>, 246\u2013263.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Robins, R. W., & Pals, J. L. (2002). Implicit self-theories in the academic domain: Implications for goal orientation, attributions, affect, and self-esteem change. <\/span>Self and Identity, 1<\/span><\/i>, 313\u2013336.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. <\/span>Psychological Review, 95,<\/span><\/i> 256\u2013273.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Haimovitz, K., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). What predicts children\u2019s fixed and growth intelligence mindsets? Not their parents\u2019 views of intelligence but their parents\u2019 views of failure. <\/span>Psychological science<\/span><\/i>, p.1-11. doi:10.1177\/0956797616639727<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Lane, K. L., Wehby, J. H., & Cooley, C. (2006). Teacher expectations of students’ classroom behavior across the grade span: Which social skills are necessary for success?. <\/span>Exceptional Children, 72<\/span><\/i>(2), 153-167.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Duncan, A. (2010). Looking in the mirror: Final remarks of Secretary Arne Duncan to the Mom Congress. Retrieved from\u00a0<\/span> http:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/news\/speeches\/2010\/05\/05032010.html<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  7. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Hill, N. E., & Taylor, L. C. (2004). Parental school involvement and children\u2019s academic achievement: Pragmatics and issues. <\/span>Current Directions in Psychological Science<\/span><\/i>, 13, 161\u2013164.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Pomerantz, E. M., Grolnick, W. S., & Price, C. E. (2005). The role of parents in how children approach achievement: A dynamic process perspective. In A. J. Elliot & C. S. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 259\u2013 278). New York, NY: Guilford Press.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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