Dyadic decisions about effort: How caregivers shape young children’s persistence

Every day children have to decide what is worth their effort - when to persist through challenges versus when to give up and move on to a different endeavor. Simultaneously, caregivers are trying to figure out when and how to help children with these obstacles. How do they make these decisions? I show that both children and caregivers allocate effort by reasoning about competence (their own and others), and the utilities associated with their actions (costs and rewards). However, I present evidence that beliefs about these inputs can sometimes be inaccurate or misaligned across contexts and individuals, leading to behaviors that can inadvertently demotivate children. By reframing persistence as a dynamic co-constructed process, this talk uncovers how motivation is built-and where it can break down.