Babies can learn that hard work pays off
Study finds infants try harder after seeing adults struggle to achieve a goal.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office
September 21, 2017

"If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

A new study from MIT reveals that babies as young as 15 months can learn to follow this advice. The researchers found that babies who watched an adult struggle at two different tasks before succeeding tried harder at their own difficult task, compared to babies who saw an adult succeed effortlessly.

The study suggests that infants can learn the value of effort after seeing just a couple of examples of adults trying hard, although the researchers have not studied how long the effect lasts. Although the study took place in a laboratory setting, the findings may offer some guidance for parents who hope to instill the value of effort in their children, the researchers say."

Click on news link below to read the full MIT News article.