How was growth mindset discovered?

The concept of growth mindset was discovered by Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University. This discovery was made during her research into how people's beliefs about their own intelligence and abilities can affect their motivation, learning, and subsequent success. Her research fundamentally emphasized the distinction between a "fixed mindset," where individuals believe their abilities are innate and unchangeable, and a "growth mindset," where individuals believe their abilities can be developed through effort and learning 1.

Dweck's initial work looked at how different types of praise can impact children's performance. She observed that praising children for their effort ("effort praise") leads to better performance as opposed to praising their innate intelligence or identity, which could lead to diminished performance and affect how they respond to new challenges 2.

Further studies involved methodologies like EEG to explore the neurological basis of how beliefs about intelligence impact learning success 2. This work highlighted how adopting a growth mindset could lead to better educational and personal outcomes by encouraging a focus on improvement through effort rather than an inherent ability.