Incremental Theorists Reap Benefits Yet Again: Growth Mindset and the Accuracy of Personality Judgments

Whether people believe that personal attributes are fixed or malleable is related to many important outcomes. Those with a fixed mindset believe attributes are unchangeable. A growth mindset if the belief that attributes are malleable (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Mindsets are related to how people think about personality traits (Dweck, Hong, & Chiu 1993). Research suggests having a growth intelligence mindset is related to accuracy of judgement. The current study attempted to clarify these relationships and examine causality. Researchers hypothesized that 1) growth intelligence and personality mindsets would lead to more accurate trait judgments than fixed mindsets, and 2) intelligence mindsets would have stronger effects on accuracy than personality mindsets. Data were collected online using Amazon’s MechanicalTurk. To manipulate mindset participants read a pseudo-article explaining whether personality and intelligence were fixed or malleable (Yeager et al., 2011). Personality mindset (growth vs. fixed) was crossed with intelligence mindset. Participants observed six videos and rated personality of one individual after each video. Post-manipulation mindset scores did not differ from pre-manipulation scores. The mindset manipulation did not affect accuracy. Intelligence mindset was positively related to distinctive (d=.150) but not normative (d=.074) accuracy; personality mindset was unrelated to distinctive (d=.056) and normative (d=.028) accuracy