Verbal Praise Versus External Rewards
Verbal Praise versus External Reward: Effects on Children
When it comes to child performance, is verbal praise better than external reward? There has been growing research in recent years that suggests the theory that neither verbal praise nor external rewards are beneficial to children. “A child deserves to take delight in [their] accomplishments, to feel pride in what [they’ve] learned how to do”. This theory suggests that adults take shortcuts and “manipulate kids with rewards instead of explaining and helping them to develop needed skills and good values” (Kohn). So is this true? Let’s take a look at the effects of verbal praise and external reward on children.
Verbal Praise
Does praise increase positive behavior?
In many cultures such as China praise is rare. People worry about the effects of praise. That too much praise will inflate the ego...make people think to highly of self and less of a community. This seems to be an ancient concern. Today things are different. Westerners praise each other all the time. And Western parents praise their kids all the time.
We praise because we think that praise is going to make our kids better, more motivated, more confident, more inclined to follow positive behavior. Praise can be a powerful form of encouragement. For instance, moms who praise their preschoolers for their good manners have kids with better social skills (Garner 2006; Hastings et al 2007). But in some cases, praise can actually undermine your child’s motivation. It depends on how the praise is used.
Praise can be a powerful motivating force if you follow these guidelines:
• Be sincere and specific with your praise
• Praise children only for traits they have the power to change
• Use descriptive praise that conveys realistic, attainable standards
• Be careful about praising children for achievements that come easily
• Be careful about praising children for doing what they already love to do
• Encourage children to focus on mastering skills and
When it comes to child performance, is verbal praise better than external reward? There has been growing research in recent years that suggests the theory that neither verbal praise nor external rewards are beneficial to children. “A child deserves to take delight in [their] accomplishments, to feel pride in what [they’ve] learned how to do”. This theory suggests that adults take shortcuts and “manipulate kids with rewards instead of explaining and helping them to develop needed skills and good values” (Kohn). So is this true? Let’s take a look at the effects of verbal praise and external reward on children.
Verbal Praise
Does praise increase positive behavior?
In many cultures such as China praise is rare. People worry about the effects of praise. That too much praise will inflate the ego...make people think to highly of self and less of a community. This seems to be an ancient concern. Today things are different. Westerners praise each other all the time. And Western parents praise their kids all the time.
We praise because we think that praise is going to make our kids better, more motivated, more confident, more inclined to follow positive behavior. Praise can be a powerful form of encouragement. For instance, moms who praise their preschoolers for their good manners have kids with better social skills (Garner 2006; Hastings et al 2007). But in some cases, praise can actually undermine your child’s motivation. It depends on how the praise is used.
Praise can be a powerful motivating force if you follow these guidelines:
• Be sincere and specific with your praise
• Praise children only for traits they have the power to change
• Use descriptive praise that conveys realistic, attainable standards
• Be careful about praising children for achievements that come easily
• Be careful about praising children for doing what they already love to do
• Encourage children to focus on mastering skills and
Bibliography: ALLEN-BURGE, R. S.; STEVENS, A. B.; and BURGIO, L. D. "Effective Behavioral Interventions for Decreasing Dementia-Related Challenging Behavior in Nursing Homes." International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 14 (1999): 213–232. Bledsoe, Mac. Parenting with Dignity. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2003. BURGIO, L. D., and FISHER, S. E. "Application of Psychosocial Interventions for Treating Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia." International Psychogeriatrics 12 (2000): 351–358. BURGIO, L. D., and STEVENS, A. B. "Behavioral Interventions and Motivational Systems in the Nursing Home." In Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Edited by R. Schulz, G. Maddox, and M. P. Lawton. New York: Springer, 1998. Barker GP and Graham S. 1987. Developmental study of praise and blame as attribution cues. Journal of educational psychology 79(1) 62-66. Birch LL, Marlin DW, and Rotter J. 1984. Eating as the “means” activity in a contingency: Effects on young children’s food preference. Child Development 55: 431-439. Corpus J, Ogle C, and Love-Geiger K. 2006. The Effects of Social-Comparison versus Mastery Praise on Children 's Intrinsic Motivation. Motivation and Emotion 30(4): 333-343. Elliot ES and Dweck C. 1988. Goals: An approach to motivation and achievement. Journal of personality and social psychology 54: 5-12.