Children's ability concepts: Their development, content, and consequences

In this chapter, we summarize theoretical and empirical work on the development of ability concepts in children. We first examine the form of children's basic concept of ability, asking whether it undergoes major differentiation during development or whether, instead, a near adult-like ability concept is available early on. We then ask when in development children's ability beliefs begin to exhibit coherence and motivational force. The body of evidence reviewed here points to previously unnoticed sophistication, depth, and coherence in young children's ability concepts. We close with a discussion of how theoretical and empirical attention to early ability concepts might advance our understanding of motivational processes in early childhood, as well as offer insights into how to optimize these processes.