Praise and Effort

Is all praise good?

An article in New York magazine by Po Bronson examines this question in the context of the comparative effects of praising children for their intelligence versus for their effort. The article describes a study led by psychologist Carol Dweck that involved a series of experiments on fifth graders in New York schools:

Dweck sent four female research assistants into New York fifth-grade classrooms. The researchers would take a single child out of the classroom for a nonverbal IQ test consisting of a series of puzzles—puzzles easy enough that all the children would do fairly well. Once the child finished the test, the researchers told each student his score, then gave him a single line of praise. Randomly divided into groups, some were praised for their intelligence. They were told, “You must be smart at this.” Other students were praised for their effort: “You must have worked really hard.”

. . .

Then the students were given a choice of test for the second round. One choice was a test that would be more difficult than the first, but the researchers told the kids that they’d learn a lot from attempting the puzzles. The other choice, Dweck’s team explained, was an easy test, just like the first. Of those praised for their effort, 90 percent chose the harder set of puzzles. Of those praised for their intelligence, a majority chose the easy test. The “smart” kids took the cop-out.

Why did this happen? “When we praise children for their intelligence,” Dweck wrote in her study summary, “we tell them that this is the name of the game: Look smart, don’t risk making mistakes.” And that’s what the fifth-graders had done: They’d chosen to look smart and avoid the risk of being embarrassed.

The article goes on to describe a further iteration of the experiment, in which both experiment groups were required to take a difficult test, designed for children several years above the subjects' grade level. Again, a marked difference was observed. Those children that had been praised for their effort worked diligently on the test, with some even expressing enjoyment at the challenge. Those who had been praised for their intelligence took their difficulty with the test as a sign that they weren't intelligent after all. Bronson continues:

Dweck had suspected that praise could backfire, but even she was surprised by the magnitude of the effect. “Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control,” she explains. “They come to see themselves as in control of their success. Emphasizing natural intelligence takes it out of the child’s control, and it provides no good recipe for responding to a failure.”

These findings brought to mind the concept in the Baha'i writings of individual capacity. In essence, each human being is born with a unique God-given capacity, but it is only through our unceasing effort and perseverance that we are able to achieve, or even approach, this capacity. In this light it seems only natural that praising children for their effort would have such beneficial effects.

In one passage about the role of the educator 'Abdu'l-Baha states that the child "must be encouraged to advance" and be told "you are most capable, and if you endeavor you will reach the highest pitch. . . ." In another passage, Abdu'l-Baha offers the following guidance regarding the education of children:

Bring them up to work and strive, and accustom them to hardship. Teach them to dedicate their lives to matters of great import, and inspire them to undertake studies that will benefit mankind.

For me, all of this serves to highlight the importance, and delicacy, of the issue of praise. It would appear that to praise children effectively--in a manner that is conducive to their spiritual growth and the cultivation of qualities of effort and perseverance--requires wisdom and conscious effort. It would also seem that one would want to be cautious of creating an environment in which an individual becomes dependent on praise of others, rather than the highest motive for any action--the love of God.

Not yet being a parent, I can only imagine that some of these things are easier said than done! Any insights on this issue from you parents out there would be greatly appreciated.