Abstract
Praise may have different effects on child self-esteem, depending on its informational and evaluative value. In this multiphase, multimethod investigation, we assessed the interplaying role of two outcome-oriented praises that differed in their informational and evaluative value (i.e., descriptive and non-specific praise) on indicators of child self-esteem. In phase 177 mothers reported on their usage of descriptive and non-specific praise, while their child (M = 10.09 years old) reported on their level of self-esteem. In phase 2, a subsample of 43 children completed an experimental art task during which an experimenter offered either descriptive or non-specific praise. Children then rated their competence at that task. Results from phase 1 showed that mother usage of descriptive and non-specific praise interacted to predict child self-esteem. Specifically, the relation between descriptive praise and child self-esteem was positive (vs. non-significant) when mothers used moderate to high (vs. low) amounts of non-specific praise. Furthermore, the relation between non-specific praise and child self-esteem was negative (vs. non-significant) when mothers used low (vs. moderate to high) levels of descriptive praise. Results from phase 2 showed that differences between descriptive and non-specific praise conditions emerged on child perceived competence for children reporting lower (but not higher) global self-esteem. Specifically, children with lower global self-esteem rated themselves as more competent when given descriptive (rather than non-specific) praise. Results underlie the relevance of including descriptive elements when offering outcome-oriented praise to children. They also advance the field by identifying different ways to offer outcome-oriented praise.
Highlights
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Compared to non-specific praise, descriptive praise is believed to be more informational.
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Descriptive praise is positively linked to child self-esteem when mothers combine it with non-specific praise.
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Non-specific praise is negatively linked to child self-esteem when mothers don’t combine it with descriptive praise.
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Children with lower (vs. higher) global self-esteem respond better (vs. similarly) to descriptive praise, compared to non-specific praise.
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J.M.R. analyzed the data and wrote the paper. F.G. designed the study, collected the data and collaborated with the writing of the paper. M.J. collaborated with the writing of the paper. G.A.M. collaborated with the design of the study, data analyses and writing of the paper.
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Robichaud, JM., Grenier, F., Joussemet, M. et al. The Role of Descriptive and Non-Specific Outcome-Oriented Praise in Child Self-Esteem: A Multiphase, Multimethod Investigation. J Child Fam Stud 33, 1336–1348 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02449-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02449-0