Brooke Macnamara, an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University, dives into the world of growth mindset and deliberate practice. She discusses the significance of adopting a growth mindset for personal and academic development, while also critiquing the effectiveness of traditional mindset interventions. The conversation explores the roots of deliberate practice, emphasizing the need for diverse experiences and effective strategies in skill development. Macnamara advocates for rethinking our approach to education and the importance of context in achieving success.
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Growth Mindset Overview
Growth mindset theory suggests that believing an attribute can develop with effort affects how you approach learning and challenges.
It has been applied to various areas, from academic achievement to even broader societal issues like the Enron scandal.
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Benefits of Fixed Mindset
A fixed mindset can be beneficial for individuals with high confidence in their abilities.
It reinforces their belief in natural talent and likelihood of success.
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Mindset Measurement Challenges
Measurement of mindset is tricky due to varying interpretations of "intelligence."
Some interpret it as inherent ability, others as acquired knowledge, affecting growth mindset scores.
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In this book, David Epstein examines the success of generalists in various fields, including sports, arts, music, invention, forecasting, and science. He argues that generalists, who often find their path late and juggle multiple interests, are more creative, agile, and able to make connections that specialists cannot. Epstein uses stories and research studies to show that wide sampling and late specialization can be more valuable than early specialization, especially in complex and unpredictable environments. He also discusses the distinction between 'kind' and 'wicked' learning environments and the importance of balancing specialization with range for long-term success[2][4][5].
Outliers
The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell
In 'Outliers: The Story of Success', Malcolm Gladwell examines the often-overlooked factors that contribute to high levels of success. He argues that success is not solely the result of individual talent or hard work, but rather is influenced by a complex web of advantages and inheritances, including cultural background, family, generation, and luck. The book delves into various examples, such as the success of Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Canadian ice hockey players, to illustrate how these factors play a crucial role. Gladwell also discusses the '10,000-hour rule' and the impact of cultural legacies on behavior and success. The book is divided into two parts: 'Opportunity' and 'Legacy', each exploring different aspects of how success is achieved and maintained.
Mindset
The New Psychology of Success
Carol S. Dweck
In this book, Carol S. Dweck introduces the concept of two mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe their abilities are static, while those with a growth mindset believe their abilities can be developed through effort and learning. Dweck shows how these mindsets influence success in school, work, sports, and personal relationships. She also discusses how to adopt a deeper, truer growth mindset, and how this can transform individual and organizational cultures. The book emphasizes the importance of perseverance, learning from failures, and embracing challenges as key components of the growth mindset[1][2][5].
Brooke Macnamara is an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University. In this conversation, we talk about her research on growth mindset and deliberate practice, whether deliberate practice is falsifiable, the benefits of diverse experiences, and much more.
BJKS Podcast is a podcast about neuroscience, psychology, and anything vaguely related, hosted by Benjamin James Kuper-Smith.
Timestamps 0:00:00: How Brooke started working on mindset and deliberate practice 0:02:10: (Growth) mindset: does it matter? 0:21:10: Mindset interventions 0:36:48: Deliberate practice 0:47:06: Benefits of diverse experiences 0:56:20: Is the theory of deliberate practice unfalsifiable? 0:59:36: What can we take practically from the growth mindset and deliberate pratice research? 1:01:06: A book or paper more people should read 1:02:10: Something Brooke wishes she'd learnt sooner 1:04:32: Advice for PhD students and postdocs
Burgoyne, Hambrick, & Macnamara (2020). How firm are the foundations of mind-set theory? The claims appear stronger than the evidence. Psychol Science. Dweck (2006). Mindset-Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. Epstein (2021). Range: Why generalists triumph in a specialized world. Ericsson & Harwell (2019). Deliberate practice and proposed limits on the effects of practice on the acquisition of expert performance. Frontiers in Psychol. Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychol Rev. Gladwell (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Macnamara & Burgoyne (2023). Do growth mindset interventions impact students’ academic achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis with recommendations for best practices. Psychol Bull. Macnamara, Hambrick & Oswald (2014). Deliberate practice and performance in music, games, sports, education, and professions: A meta-analysis. Psychol Science. Macnamara & Maitra (2019). The role of deliberate practice in expert performance: Revisiting Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer (1993). Royal Society Open Science. Macnamara, Moreau & Hambrick (2016). The relationship between deliberate practice and performance in sports: A meta-analysis. Perspec Psychol Science. Macnamara, Prather & Burgoyne (2023). Beliefs about success are prone to cognitive fallacies. Nat Rev Psychol. Sisk, Burgoyne, Sun, Butler & Macnamara (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychol Science.
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