Children's Reactions to Failure

Sex differences in preschool children without histories of complications of pregnancy and delivery.

“…Miscellaneous other findings indicate that girls maintain a longer duration of time spent in any single activity before changing, a measure that would appear to index attention span and persistence. These results are consistent with Zunich (1964), Nakamura and Ellis (1964) and Hartshorne, May, and Mailer (1929). No differences were found in emotional expression or extent of passive attention, but none has been reported for subjects below elementary school age.…”

The socialization of achievement orientation in females.

“…Among preschool children, Wyer (1968) found no sex differences in persistence on a difficult task with no social approval. Zunich (1964) found that girls were more likely than boys to attempt to solve a difficult task alone, to seek information, and to seek contact from an adult and were less likely to seek help, be destructive, or rationalize. In a recent series of three studies, Crandall 9 found that fourth-and eighth-grade females responded with greater effort when they were failing to meet a previously established standard than when they were succeeding.…”

Atribución de la causalidad y motivación de logro desde una perspectiva evolutiva. Evidencia empírica

“…En conjunto, tales estudios parecen indicar que hasta los 3,5 ó 4 años el sujeto no es capaz de considerar el éxito o el fracaso como debido a su propia acción, de modo que pueda experimentar placer por su competencia o vergüenza por su incompetencia. En concreto, Zunich (1964) encontró que los niños de 4 años, comparados con los de 3, piden ayuda a los adultos con menos frecuencia, no se desaniman ni dejan la tarea tan fácilmente y muestran reacciones más fuertes ante el fracaso. Heckhausen y Wasna (1965) han encontrado resultados semejantes trabajando con imbéciles y teniendo en cuenta su edad mental.…”