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Implicit Theories of Intelligence as a Moderator of the Relationship between Experience-Taking and Performance

Smith, Stephanie M.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8419-8066
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1488469384127714

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Social Sciences (Arts and Sciences).
Experience-taking is the process by which readers merge with a character in a narrative. Via this process, readers lose awareness of self and surroundings and adopt the character’s perspective, including thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Previous research has demonstrated an association between engaging in experience-taking with a successful character and increased performance in a similar evaluative domain. The current studies sought to investigate a potential moderator of this relationship, specifically, implicit theories of intelligence, or the different ways individuals view the stability (e.g., entity theorists) or malleability (e.g., incremental theorists) of intelligence. In Study 1, participants read a narrative about a character who expressed either entity or incremental beliefs and then subsequently performed successfully on a verbal task. Participants then reported their engagement in experience-taking and their confidence and motivation to perform well on a similar task. Results indicated that entity theorists were significantly less likely to engage in experience-taking than incremental theorists. In addition, entity theorists that did engage in experience-taking reported a greater ability to relate to the feelings of the character than those who did not engage in experience-taking. Study 2 used a similar design as Study 1 except I eliminated the manipulation regarding the character’s belief and instead, the ending was manipulated such that the character experienced either success or failure at the task. Results again showed that entity theorists were significantly less likely to engage in experience-taking than incremental theorists. In addition, there was a significant three-way interaction of condition (success vs. failure), entity beliefs, and experience-taking in predicting motivation. Finally, for Study 3, participants read the same basic narrative without any manipulation and completed a task like the one completed by the character. As in Studies 1 and 2, entity theorists were significantly less likely to engage in experience-taking than incremental theorists. However, experience-taking did not significantly predict performance and entity beliefs and perceived verbal ability did not interact to predict experience-taking, as hypothesized. Discussion focuses on both the theoretical and practical implications of the association between implicit theories of intelligence and experience-taking.
Keith Markman, PhD (Advisor)
Mark Alicke, PhD (Committee Chair)
Kim Rios, PhD (Committee Member)
Jenny Howell, PhD (Committee Member)
Sandra Hoyt, PhD (Committee Member)
Yusuf Kalyango, PhD (Committee Member)
106 p.
Psychology
Psychology; Narratives; Individual Differences

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Smith, S. M. (2017). Implicit Theories of Intelligence as a Moderator of the Relationship between Experience-Taking and Performance [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1488469384127714

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Smith, Stephanie. Implicit Theories of Intelligence as a Moderator of the Relationship between Experience-Taking and Performance. 2017. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1488469384127714.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Smith, Stephanie. "Implicit Theories of Intelligence as a Moderator of the Relationship between Experience-Taking and Performance." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1488469384127714

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1488469384127714
244
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.