How Is Temperament Related to the Development of Implicit Theories?
Young children’s implicit theories about goodness and badness predict helpless responses to challenge. Preschoolers who believe that making a mistake means that they are bad are more likely to give up, experience negative emotions, and blame themselves when they encounter difficulty. But where do these beliefs come from? One line of research (with Carol Dweck) examines how temperament is related to the development of implicit theories. Our results suggest that children’s beliefs about the world may affect their temperament and the manner in which they approach new situations over time, although temperament may not predict the development of particular beliefs.