Investigating the relationship between a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation in a cognitive task

The concept of a growth mindset has received an enormous amount of attention in academic circles and educational settings, and many interventions incorporating it have been conducted. Nonetheless, the empirical evidence for the effectiveness of a growth mindset is still inconclusive, and while some studies show that a growth mindset has a positive effect on outcomes such as academic achievement, others find no effect. Similarly, while there is evidence for a correlation between a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation, there is a lack of direct evidence establishing a causal relationship between this association. Therefore, the current study tested for a causal relationship between a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation. In a mixed experimental design, 83 participants were assigned to read a growth or fixed mindset prime and were tasked to complete two rounds of a cognitive task. This task was manipulated to be either easy or difficult to complete, to vary perceived competence. Participants in the growth mindset condition had significantly higher growth mindset scores than those in the fixed mindset condition. However, the results showed no relationship between a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation, and perceived competence did not act as a moderator between the two. At the same time, there was a positive correlation between perceived competence and intrinsic motivation. The discussion highlights the importance of perceived competence, and argues that future growth mindset research would benefit from an increased focus on further developing the theory behind growth mindsets, to more clearly establish causal mechanisms and clear determinants.