In one experiment by the psychologist Carol Dweck and a colleague, eleven- and twelve-year-olds were given eight easy tests, then four very difficult ones. As they worked, the two groups exhibited startlingly different responses.2 Here are the children in the Fixed Mindset grouping being described by Dweck: ‘Maybe the most striking thing about this group was how quickly they began to denigrate their abilities and blame their intelligence for the failures, saying things like “I guess I am not very smart”, “I never did have a good memory” and “I’m no good at things like this”.’ Two-thirds of
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