Motivating Teens

There’s much to admire in Dr. Yeager’s work; most relevant to FAN’s interest is that Dr. Yeager focuses nearly exclusively on adolescent behavior change. He designs clever randomized experiments and interventions, primarily in school settings, with the goal of transforming the lives of teenagers for the better. Dr. Yeager has investigated substance use, healthy eating, motivation, bullying, aggression, stress, cheating, academic underperformance, and depression, and is primarily interested in developing practical, effective strategies. His approach is deeply informed by Dr. Dweck’s groundbreaking research in “mindsets,” and he is particularly preoccupied with scaling innovations in the social sciences, and seeks to create a new field of “psychological design.”