Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Consequences of Praising Altruism.

Abstract

Studies were conducted to investigate the effects of dispositional praise (the ap plication of a positive trait label) on internalized sharing and self-perception in children 8 to 9 years of age. It was hypothesized that dispositional praise pro motes the internalization of prosocial behavior by changing the self-concept, i.e., by producing a generalized change in self-perception. Children were given either dispositional praise, nondispositional praise (the evaluation of specific be havior), or no praise for sharing their winnings from a game. They were then ad ministered measures of internalized sharing and self-perception. In Study 1, dis positional praise promoted internalized sharing but had no effects on self perception. Study 2 was conducted by using modified measures and measures of other potential mediators of internalization; in this study, internalized sharing was enhanced, but only when sharing was measured after self-perceptions were measured. Dispositional praise also enhanced self-perceptions, but only in boys. Both boys and girls reported more positive affect after dispositional praise than they did after nondispositional or no praise. The findings illuminate the complex ity of the decision making process and suggest that perceived expectations may play an important role in determining the behavioral consequences of praise. The need to examine other cognitive and affective consequences of praise and to consider sex differences in children's interpretations of praise was also dis cussed.

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