Running head: READING ANALYSIS 3 1

Reading Analysis 3

Of

The Perils and Promise of Praise

Shaun Williams

Psyc 1001

April 28, 2916

Professor Lindemann
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Reading Analysis 3

What is intelligence? Understanding the meaning of intelligence will encourage us to

reexamine the limits we have placed in our minds about what, how, and how much we can learn.

This paper will discuss the meaning of intelligence, its broad components, and explores its

mutual relationship with mindset based on Carol S. Dweck’s 2007 article, The Perils and

Promises of Praise. It will also inspire us to build a better future by fostering learning

environments in which our younger generations are motivated by of hard work and learning.

Challenging to study, partly because it can be defined and measured in many different

ways, intelligence -simply put- is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge (www.

dictionary.com). We can separate intelligence into two sub-components, fluid and crystallized;

respectively defined as the ability to deal with new problems, and a persons acquired knowledge.

Fluid and crystallized intelligence are linked and exhibited in different proportions by different

people (Gleitman, Gross, & Reisberg, 2010). Acknowledging the building blocks: mental speed;

working memory and attention; and executive control, we should not ignore other contributions

to intelligence such as the influences of genetic and environmental factors. While scientist know

that the genome contributes to differences in intelligence, many will agree that environmental

factors (type of praise, parenting, school resources, nutrition, etc.) greatly contribute to the

variation of intelligence among the population.

Describing key elements of how intelligent we can become, in her 2007 publication

Psychologist Carol S. Dweck discusses the correlation of different types of praises and the

development of “growth” or “fixed” mindsets as they relate to our ability to learn, and how we

react to increased effort or failure.

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Growing up, I always excelled in subjects like math and science because I found them

interesting, and I was always told “you’re great at math. You’re smart”. I have taken a variety of

standardized, aptitude and battery test for both personal and professional reasons. The scores of

these tests identified the subjects that I performed the strongest. The results seemed to reward

and support those praises, but helped create a belief that I can succeed in math and science

courses with little effort. I was in for a shock. In the summer of 2013, I enrolled in my first

college Calculus class. I had a military deployment, and thought I can still be successful in the

class although I could not dedicate much time to it. I was wrong, and I nearly failed the class.

However instead of acknowledging my lack of effort, I immediately started blaming the

deployment, and other conditions for my lack of success. But why?

Dr. Dweck talks about how the type of praise that a person encounters influences the type

of mindset they will have. People with a fixed mindset believe they have a limit to the amount of

intelligence that they can attain, and tend to avoid effort, and failure. For example, I was always

told that I was good at math because I was smart. This type of praise disregarded the effort put

into being successful, and causes a mindset that ignores the work.

A person with a growth mindset is focused on learning, understands the importance of

effort, and perceives failure as a stimulating path to success. They are likely to perform better

that people with fixed mindset, regardless of similarities in knowledge, skills and abilities. Using

praises that commends hard work, and resiliency promote a growth mindset. (Grant & Dweck,

2003).

Telling someone that they are intelligent or smart simply does not make them

“intelligent”. They must be taught to persevere, work hard, and remain focused on goals even in

the face of failure. Doing this will allow people to build their own confidence in learning.
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References

Dweck, C. S. (2007, October). The Perils and Promises of Praise. Educational Leadership, 65(2),

34-39.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.

Psychology/ Gleitman, H., Gross, J. J., & Reisberg, D. (2011). Psychology (8th ed.) pp.425-459.

New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company Ltd.