Mindset as Context for the
Internet of Everything
mediaX 2014
Stanford University
“Well-being and Productivity in a Globally
Connected World”
Learner or Non-learner?
“I don’t divide the world into the
weak and the strong, or the successes
and the failures… I divide the world
into the learners and non-learners.”
-- Benjamin Barber
You don’t see unmotivated
babies!
Yet many of the things we do
are turning people into nonlearners.
How do we make sure people
remain learners?
Mindsets Matter
Fixed Mindset: Intelligence is a fixed
trait
Growth Mindset: Intelligence can be
developed
Mindsets Matter
Math Achievement
Math Grades
Blackwell, Dweck, & Trzesniewski (2007)
77.0
76.5
76.0
75.5
75.0
74.5
74.0
73.5
73.0
72.5
72.0
growth mindset
Fixed
Growth
fixed mindset
Entering
Academic
Year
Fall
Year 1
Spring
Year 1
Fall
Year 2
Spring
Year2
How Do Mindsets
Work?
Mindset Rule #1
Fixed Mindset:
LOOK SMART AT ALL COSTS
Growth Mindset:
LEARN AT ALL COSTS
Mindset Rule #2
Fixed Mindset:
IT SHOULD COME NATURALLY
Growth Mindset:
WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY
Mindset Rule #2
Fixed Mindset:
IT SHOULD COME NATURALLY
Growth Mindset:
WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY
Mindset Rule #3
In the face of setbacks…
Fixed Mindset: It’s about me
HIDE MISTAKES & DEFICIENCIES
Growth Mindset: It’s about learning
CONFRONT MISTAKES
& DEFICIENCIES
After Setback
Fixed Mindset:
“I’d spend less time on this subject from now
on.”
“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
Growth Mindset:
“I would work harder in this class from now on.”
“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”
Blackwell, Trzesniewski and Dweck, 2007
Moser et al., 2011
Mindset Rules
Fixed Mindset
1. Never look dumb
2. Don’t work hard
3. Run from difficulty
Growth Mindset
1. Learn
2. Work hard to learn
3. Learn from mistakes
Creativity
O’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013
Mindsets predict:
1. Performance on a creativity task
2. Lifetime creative achievement
Creativity
O’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013
• Most artists and supposed creative types
just copy someone else. They adjust, tweak
a little, but overall, it’s just the same
thing...”
Creativity
O’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013
•“But some people have some inherent quality
that lets them see the bigger picture and do
something truly creative.”
•“But some people work to a point that lets
them see the bigger picture and do something
truly creative.”
Creativity: Originality Ratings
O’Connor, Nemeth, Akutsa, 2013
Corporate Mindsets
A Culture of Genius or a Culture of Development?
“When it comes to being successful, this
company believes that people have a certain
amount of talent, and they can’t really do
much to change it.”
Creativity & Innovation In Organizations:
Murphy, Chatman, Kray, & Dweck, 2104
C
Risk-Taking In Organizations:
Murphy, Chatman, Kray, & Dweck, 2104
Corporate Mindsets
How are mindsets fostered?
Mueller & Dweck, 1998; Kamins & Dweck,1 999; Cimpian, Arce,
Markman, & Dweck, 2007; Gunderson et al., 2013.
Praise:
Messages About What We Value
• Intelligence Praise: “You’re really smart,
talented, good at…”
• Process Praise: “You worked hard, tried
good strategies, took on a big challenge,
stuck to it, improved…”
Intelligence vs. Process Praise
• Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth
• Non-learner vs. learner
After Difficult Task:
• Not resilient vs. resilient
• Baby Praise
What to Praise
• Effort, struggle, but not just effort…
• Strategies, choices, decision-making
process
• Choosing difficult tasks, persisting,
capitalizing on mistakes
• Learning, improving
Yesterday’s vs. Tomorrow’s Praise
• You did that so quickly and easily. That’s
impressive!
• You did that so quickly and easily. I’m
sorry I wasted your time. Let’s do
something you can learn from.
Encouragement
Sohl-Dickstein, Paunesku, Haley, &
Williams, 2014, in prep.
Growth Mindset Encouragement
• Khan Academy online learning
• N = 265,082
• Growth-mindset encouragement vs. controls
Correct Answers Post-Treatment
*
Corrective Feedback
Kenthirarajah, Haimovitz, Walton &
Dweck, 2014, in prep.
Growth Mindset Incentive
Systems
O’Rourke, Haimovitz, Ballweber,
Dweck, & Popovic, 2014
Brain Points
Rewarded the use of effort, strategy, and progress.
Increased…
•
•
•
•
Overall time played
Strategy use
Perseverance after challenge
And most important…
Distribution of Players Who
Persisted for 30 Minutes
Do we convey that certain abilities are
more fixed?
And does this affect who participates
in a field?
Female representation in STEM subjects
Leslie & Cimpian, 2014
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
...and minority students too.
A Field’s Mindset?
Leslie, Cimpian, & Meyer, 2014
• When it comes to [computer science], the most
important factor(s) for success ..
• are motivation and sustained effort; raw ability is
secondary.
• is a special aptitude that just can't be taught.
Mindsets & Representation
• Correlation between field’s (fixed) mindset
and female representation in STEM:
(r= -.64)
• Predicts Africa-American representation as
well.
Changing Mindsets Directly
What else can be done?
The brain is a network of cells
(neurons)
The cells communicate through chemical
messages
Math Grades
(Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck)
Transforming the Meaning of Effort
and Difficulty
• “Probability, I was just like, ‘I don’t get
this at all.’ But I was just like, okay, I’m
going to do this . . . I want to do this
because it’s so hard.”
Is it ever too late?
High School Intervention
Effect on GPA
Students in Bottom Tercile
N=531
Community College Course Dropout
Students Who Withdrew From Developmental Math
N = 288
High-Quality Public 4-yr. University:
Who Maintained a Full Course Load?
Control
Growth Mindset
70%
64%
65%
61%
60%
55%
55%
50%
45%
45%
40%
All Students
N = 7,342
African American Students
N = 356
School/Community-Based Intervention
Native American Students
Stephanie Fryberg
• Quil Ceda and Tulalip Elementary School on
Tulalip Reservation
• 90% Minority
• School was always in the bottom 5% of the state
•
•
•
•
Culturally relevant
Parent involvement (TV program)
6 hours a day growing your brain
Students’ mistakes, confusion, and struggles
help teachers grow their own brains
After 1-1.5 Years
• Kindergarten and 1st graders: Lead the district in
oral reading fluency
• 2nd -5th Grade Literacy and Math: Many are
showing 1.5 to 2 years of growth per year
Growth Mindset…
Can be about other domains:
• Health
• Willpower
• Relationships
Thank you!