in_the_media

Telling your toddlers they're smart may not be all that wise, study finds

Media Outlet: 

HealthDay, United Press International, The Telegraph (U.K.), The Daily Mail (U.K.)

A new study found that toddlers whose parents regularly said things like "You tried really hard on that," rather than "Wonderful," have an edge when it comes to challenges. "Telling kids they're intelligent rather than praising the positive steps they're taking to solve a problem as they play can make them question their intelligence when they encounter something that's harder for them to do," said author Elizabeth Gunderson, an assistant professor of psychology at Temple.