WHEN AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED: THE ROLE OF CHOICE IN IMPLICIT THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE, FAILURE, AND GIVING UP

Abstract

Past research on implicit theories of intelligence demonstrate that individuals holding growth mindsets of intelligence are more likely to persist when faced with failure or challenges. However, these findings come in a context where individuals have limited choice to disengage, and are obligated to see a goal through. With this in mind, the present study adopted a longitudinal design with a novel task paradigm to examine how individuals with growth mindsets would respond when given a choice to disengage. We first measured participants’ practice effort on the task following an initial failure or success. Next, we gave them the choice to persist or disengage through the option to join further studies. Results showed that growth mindsets only predicted a greater amount of practice effort when initial failure was experienced. More importantly, initial failure instead of mindsets predicted participants’ decision to disengage when a choice was given. Implications and future directions for growth mindset studies and interventions were discussed.