ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a few especially pertinent, compelling theories and bodies of research to show a scientific basis for my contention that being wrong (sometimes) is better. Carol Dweck, in her research on mindset, has shown that when children are repeatedly praised for being smart, they may learn to fear mistakes and that it is best to avoid the risk of being wrong. A fixed mindset means that struggles and being wrong simply reinforce the belief that ability is set as a stable characteristic, a permanent trait that leads to challenge avoidance and a devaluing of effort. The chapter looks at an example of the disparate mindsets with student performance. Positive anxiety is developed when there is little fear of failure and when children know that it is OK to be wrong. During the mid-1900s a great amount of research was conducted on the development and implications of a personality disposition called achievement motivation, or the need to achieve.
