With support from a $1.6 million grant, a new CAS faculty member is studying people’s beliefs about whether intelligence can be increased and how these beliefs shape our attitudes, behaviors and expectations.
Joyce Ehrlinger, assistant professor of psychology, has begun working with teachers at Pullman High School to apply some of her research to improve students’ math skills. She is reaching out to other educators at WSU and in the surrounding community who can work with youngsters to help them develop “the mindset that they can become smarter.”
“We have tools that have been proven to improve kids’ performance on standardized tests, ultimately just by teaching them this idea that intelligence is changeable.”