In contemporary Western society, people believe strongly in the power of praise, especially for supporting children. Self-help books recommend parents and teachers to be generous with their praise. The well-known poster 101 Ways to Praise a Child lists numerous examples of how parents and teachers can lavish children with praise, ranging from Well done, Nice work, and Good job to Terrific, Marvelous, and You’re spectacular. Parenting and educational interventions often rely on praise as one of their key components. Unsurprisingly, then, praise is the most common type of feedback Western children receive, both at home and in school.

This entry summarizes research on the effects of praise. Praise refers to verbal positive evaluations of another person’s products, actions, or traits, where the evaluations are based on ...