Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
918766 | Journal of Experimental Child Psychology | 2008 | 21 Pages |
Abstract
Building on Nicholls's earlier work, we examined developmental changes in children's understanding of effort and ability when faced with a negative outcome. In a sample of 166 children and adolescents (ages 5-15 years), younger children conflated the meaning of effort and ability, explaining that smart students work hard, whereas older children understood effort and ability to be reciprocally related constructs, explaining that smart students do not need to work as hard. Understanding the reciprocal relation between effort and ability was correlated with age. Age-related changes in the meaning and correlates of effort and ability were also examined. Developmental implications for attribution theory and achievement motivation are discussed.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Psychology
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Authors
Amy S. Folmer, David A. Cole, Amanda B. Sigal, Lovisa D. Benbow, Lindsay F. Satterwhite, Katherine E. Swygert, Jeffrey A. Ciesla,