Regional Gray Matter Volume Is Associated with Growth Mindset: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychology

Background:

• A growth mindset, the belief that intelligence can be developed, is crucial for motivation and achievement.
• The neural underpinnings of a growth mindset remain largely unexplored.
• Understanding the brain mechanisms associated with a growth mindset can provide insights into learning and cognitive development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between growth mindset and brain structure, specifically gray matter volume (GMV).
• To identify specific brain regions associated with growth mindset beliefs in healthy adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
• Administered the Growth Mindset Inventory and an intelligence test to participants.
• Analyzed whole-brain correlations between growth mindset scores and regional GMV in a sample of 389 healthy adults (114 men, 275 women).

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was observed between higher growth mindset scores and increased GMV in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC).
• This association remained significant after controlling for age, sex, total intracranial volume, and intelligence quotient.
• The mOFC is a key region implicated in reward processing.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest a neural basis for the growth mindset, linking it to the brain's reward system via the mOFC.
• This supports the social-cognitive theory of motivation, highlighting the role of reward in fostering a growth mindset.
• Future research could explore interventions targeting the mOFC to cultivate a growth mindset.