The relationship between growth mindset and cognitive fusion in college students is mediated by bias towards negative information

Dongchi Zhao; Weidong Tao; Qiuchen Shen; Qingwen Zuo; Jingjing Zhang; Isabel Horton; Zhen Xu; Hong-Jin Sun

Heliyon (Jul 2024)

The relationship between growth mindset and cognitive fusion in college students is mediated by bias towards negative information

Dongchi Zhao,
Weidong Tao,
Qiuchen Shen,
Qingwen Zuo,
Jingjing Zhang,
Isabel Horton,
Zhen Xu,
Hong-Jin Sun

Affiliations

Dongchi Zhao: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China; Department of Psychology, School of Teacher Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China
Weidong Tao: Department of Psychology, School of Teacher Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China; Corresponding author.
Qiuchen Shen: Department of Psychology, School of Arts & Sciences, University of Rochester, USA
Qingwen Zuo: Department of Psychology, School of Teacher Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China
Jingjing Zhang: Department of Psychology, School of Teacher Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China
Isabel Horton: Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Zhen Xu: Department of Psychology, School of Teacher Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China
Hong-Jin Sun: Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 14
p. e34445

Abstract

Read online

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among growth mindset, cognitive fusion, bias towards negative information, and bias towards positive information. The Growth Mindset Scale, the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale, and the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire were employed. A total of 470 college students in China participated in the study. The findings showed a negative correlation between a growth mindset and cognitive fusion. In addition, a parallel mediation analysis demonstrated that bias towards negative information mediated the relationship between a growth mindset and cognitive fusion and that the indirect effect was significant. However, the mediation of bias towards positive information in this model was not significant. These results suggest that possessing a growth mindset is advantageous for mental health.

Published in Heliyon

ISSN: 2405-8440 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Science (General); Social Sciences: Social sciences (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/home

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords