Self-Regulation Mindsets: Relationship to Coping, Executive Functioning, and ADHD
Abstract
Introduction: We examined if mindsets about the stability (fixed mindset) or malleability (growth mindset) of self-regulation predicted coping with setbacks. We also investigated relations with Executive Function (EF) deficits and ADHD status.
Methods: In two correlational studies (Study 1, N = 204; Study 2, N = 184, ADHD, n = 34, Non-ADHD, n = 150), participants reported on their mindsets, self-regulatory abilities, and responded to assessments related to a setback about which they wrote.
Results: Across both studies, growth mindsets predicted less negative affect, greater efficacy, and less avoidant coping. The relationship between mindsets and these responses did not depend on EF deficits (Study 1 and Study 2) nor ADHD diagnostic status (Study 2), but participants with greater EF deficits and an ADHD diagnosis reported weaker growth mindsets of self-regulation.
Discussion: Findings support the evaluation and development of growth mindset interventions to help individuals with disorders of self-regulation to cope more effectively.
REFERENCES
- 1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122–147. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2011). Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS). New York: Guilford. Google Scholar (
- 2015). Executive functioning and self-regulation: Extended phenotype, synthesis, and clinical implications. In Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th edition, pp. 405–434). New York: Guilford. Google Scholar (
- 1996) Self-regulation failure: An overview. Psychological Inquiry, 7, 1–15. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78, 246–263. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2013). What is mental illness? In Fulford K.W.M. et al. (Eds). Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxford-hb/9780199579563.013.0028 Google Scholar (
- 2011). Amazon's Mechanical Turk: A new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality, data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3–5. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2010). Implicit theories of body weight: Entity beliefs can weigh you down. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 410–422. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2019). Mindsets of addiction: Implications for treatment intentions. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38, 367–394. Link, Google Scholar (
- 2017). Weight beliefs and messages: Mindsets predict body-shame and anti-fat attitudes via attributions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 47, 616–624. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2013). Mind-sets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 655. Google Scholar (
- 2012). Attention and self-regulation: A control-theory approach to human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media. Google Scholar (
- 2008). Implicit theories and IQ test performance: A sequential meditational analysis. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 783–791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2007.07.003 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2015). Emotion beliefs and cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 44, 128–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2014.974665 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2006). The effects of diagnostic labelling on the implicit theories of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder held by health professionals. Behaviour Change, 23, 177–185. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2018). Beyond willpower: Strategies for reducing failures of self-control. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19, 102–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618821893 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2000). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Philadelphia: Psychology Press. Google Scholar (
- 1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256–273. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14, 481–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2018). Longitudinal evaluation of the Cognitive-Behavioral Model of ADHD in a sample of college students with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 22, 323–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054715616184 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2019). Genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 24, 562. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0070-0 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2019). Preschoolers find ways to resist temptation after learning that willpower can be energizing. Developmental Science, e12905. Google Scholar (
- 2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press. Google Scholar (
- 2012). Executive functions and self-regulation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16, 174–180. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2010). Ego depletion—is it all in your head?: Implicit theories about willpower affect self-regulation. Psychological Science, 21, 1686–1693. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610384745 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2017). Meta-analysis of cognitive–behavioral treatments for adult ADHD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85, 737–750. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000216 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2014). Biological conceptualizations of mental disorders among affected individuals: A review of correlates and consequences. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 21, 67–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12056 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2006). The heritability of conscientiousness facets and their relationship to IQ and academic achievement. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 1189–1199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.10.013 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2006). Finding “meaning” in psychology: A lay theories approach to self-regulation, social perception, and social development. American Psychologist, 61, 192. Crossref, Google Scholar (
National Institute of Mental Health (2016). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml. Google Scholar- 2004). From vulnerability to resilience: Learning orientations buffer contingent self-esteem from failure. Psychological Science, 15, 801–805. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2003). Implicit theories of ability and self-regulation strategies in physical education classes. Educational Psychology, 23, 141–157. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2010). Running experiments on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Judgment and Decision Making, 5, 411–419. Google Scholar (
- 2002). A cognitive therapy approach for treating chronic procrastination and avoidance: Behavioral activation interventions. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 55, 79–92. https://doi.org/10.3200/JGPP.55.2.79-92 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2004). Psychosocial treatments for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 27, 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0193-953X(03)00089-3 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2019). Doubting the diagnosis but seeking a talking cure. An experimental investigation of causal explanations of depression and willingness to access treatment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 43, 971–985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-019-10027-w Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2015). Implicit theories and youth mental health problems: A random-effects meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 35, 1–9. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2018). The fixed mindset of anxiety predicts future distress: A longitudinal study. Behavior Therapy, 50, 710–717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2018.11.001 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological Science, 29, 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2016). Assessment of the relationship between self-reported cognitive distortions and adult ADHD, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Psychiatry Research, 238, 153–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.02.034 Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2018). Perceptions of ADHD among diagnosed children and their parents: A systematic review using the common-sense model of illness representations. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 21, 57–93. Crossref, Google Scholar (
- 2015). Screening Amazon's Mechanical Turk for adults with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23, 1179–1187. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054715597471 Google Scholar (
- 2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573, 634–369. Crossref, Google Scholar (