Carol Dweck
Born 1946 · Age 79
American psychologist known for research on motivation and mindsets; Lewis & Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University; author of Self-Theories (1999) and Mindset (2006); elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences and National Academy of Sciences.
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Life & Career Timeline
National Science Foundation Fellow (begin)
Began National Science Foundation fellowship at Yale University (graduate fellowship).
B.A., Barnard College, Columbia University
Earned Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Barnard College (Columbia University).
National Science Foundation Fellow (end)
Completed NSF fellowship at Yale University (1967–1971).
Ph.D., Yale University (Psychology)
Awarded Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University.
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois (start)
Appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Illinois (1972–1977).
Associate Professor, University of Illinois
Promoted to Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois (1977–1981).
Professor, Laboratory of Human Development, Harvard University
Joined Harvard University as Professor in the Laboratory of Human Development (1981–1985).
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois (return)
Served as Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Illinois (1985–1989).
Professor, Columbia University (start)
Joined Columbia University faculty as Professor of Psychology and became William B. Ransford Professor of Psychology (1989–2004).
Published 'Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality and Development'
Scholarly book presenting core self-theory framework; later recognized as influential in education and psychology.
Elected Member, American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of contributions to psychology.
Book Award for 'Self-Theories' (World Education Federation)
'Self-Theories' named Book of the Year by the World Education Federation (UN/UNICEF-affiliated).
Joined Stanford University; Lewis & Virginia Eaton Professorship
Appointed Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University (2004–present).
Published 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success'
Released popular and widely cited book that popularized the growth vs. fixed mindset distinction.
Award for Innovative Program of the Year ('Brainology')
Program 'Brainology' recognized with Award for Innovative Program of the Year.
Recognition for Brainology program (innovative educational program)
Brainology, an educational program associated with Dweck's work, received recognition and awards (innovative program).
Donald Campbell Career Achievement Award (SPSP)
Received the Donald Campbell Career Achievement Award in Social Psychology from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
Ann L. Brown Award for Research in Developmental Psychology
Received Ann L. Brown Award from the University of Illinois for contributions in developmental research.
William B. Ransford Professorship (Columbia period noted)
Held the William B. Ransford Professorship of Psychology during Columbia tenure (explicitly noted for 1989–2004).
Klingenstein Award for Leadership in Education
Awarded Klingenstein Award for Leadership in Education by the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University.
Thorndike Career Achievement Award (APA, Educational Psychology)
Received the Thorndike Career Achievement Award in Educational Psychology from the APA.
Herbert Simon Fellow, Academy of Political and Social Science
Named Herbert Simon Fellow of the Academy of Political and Social Science (2010).
Beckman Mentoring Award (Columbia University)
Received the Beckman Mentoring Award from Columbia University.
Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (APA)
Awarded the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award by the American Psychological Association.
Gallery of Scientists (Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences)
Recognized in the Gallery of Scientists by the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences.
Multiple 2012 empirical publications on mindsets
Co-authored several 2012 empirical papers on group malleability, prejudice, and motives (JPSP, Emotion, etc.).
Published 'Mindsets and Human Nature' (American Psychologist)
Published influential review article discussing growth mindset's broader implications (American Psychologist, 2012).
Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences
Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Launched/Contributed to National and large-scale mindset research projects (SERN, National Mindset Study references)
Associated with National Mindset Study and Student Experience Research Network projects studying mindset interventions at scale (dates of project activity span 2010s).
James McKeen Cattell Lifetime Achievement Award (APS)
Received the Association for Psychological Science's James McKeen Cattell Lifetime Achievement Award (2013).
Extensive media coverage and public engagement (ongoing)
Work featured in major media outlets (New Yorker, Time, NYT, Wall Street Journal) and broadcast appearances (Today, NPR). Exact dates and amounts not specified in source material.
Papers on willpower, parents' praise, and adolescent interventions (2013)
Co-authored several influential empirical articles (e.g., on willpower & glucose, parent praise predicting mindsets, interventions reducing aggression).
Distinguished Scholar Award (Society for Personality and Social Psychology)
Awarded Distinguished Scholar Award by SPSP in 2013.
Papers on altruism, empathy, self-control (2014)
Co-authored several 2014 studies in PNAS and JPSP exploring altruism, empathy mindset, and neural correlates of self-control.
Published 'The far-reaching effects of believing people can change' (JPSP)
Co-authored a 2014 JPSP paper demonstrating how implicit theories of personality shape stress, health, and achievement in adolescence.
Published 'Implicit Theories About Willpower Predict Self-Regulation and Grades' (JPSP)
Co-authored 2015 JPSP paper linking beliefs about willpower to everyday self-regulation and grades.
Published 'Mind-Set Interventions Are a Scalable Treatment for Academic Underachievement' (Psychological Science)
Co-authored 2015 paper demonstrating online scalable mindset and sense-of-purpose interventions raise GPA for at-risk students.
Published 'Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale' (PNAS)
Co-authored 2016 PNAS article reporting large randomized tests of preparatory lay-theory interventions raising enrollment and GPA for disadvantaged students.
Published 'Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement' (PNAS)
Co-authored large-sample 2016 PNAS paper using nationwide Chilean data showing growth mindset buffers poverty effects on achievement.
Association for Psychological Science (APS) Mentor Awardee
Recognized by APS for mentorship (APS Mentor Award, 2019).
APS William James Fellow
Named a William James Fellow by the Association for Psychological Science in 2020.
Stanford teaching and advising activities (ongoing)
Listed as teaching multiple undergraduate and graduate courses (e.g., PSYCH 12N Self Theories, PSYCH 211 Developmental Psychology) and advising doctoral/postdoctoral candidates (2021–2024 course listings included).
Key Achievement Ages
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