The Reverse Power of Praise: Should We Praise Our Children?Praising our children comes naturally; most of us have done it hundreds of times without even thinking about it. The phrases: “you are so smart” or “wow, you did a great job” come out of our mouths. After all, who wouldn't like to be recognized for a job well done? But by praising children, are we setting them up for failure? Telling our kids they're smart doesn't stop them from underperforming, but it may instead cause it. B.F. Skinner's work on operant conditioning showed us the process in which behavior can be manipulated (Wood, et al, 2008, p. 155), but Skinner did not take into account the long-term effects of such manipulation. Are we conditioning children to seek dopamine in the form of praise, just as Pavlov taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell (Wood, et al, 2008, p. 146)? We've all known someone who was too smart for their own good. This is the person who received good grades as a child, took honors courses in high school, and perhaps even got a full scholarship to a college of their choice. It seemed like they had everything going for them, but they did nothing. I had a friend in high school (we'll call her Samantha), who was just like that. Samantha took honors classes, maintained a 4.0 grade point average despite never having studied, played varsity sports, and received a full scholarship to ASU. However, less than a year after graduating high school, she had a baby, dropped out of college, and got a job cleaning houses with her boyfriend's sister. So what happened to Samantha? How does someone who is innately intelligent and seems destined for great things settle for so little? Is it poor decision making, poor impulse control, or can… middle of paper… Ollinger, Gordon L. Shulman, C R. Cloninger, and Joseph L. Price. "Persistence and brain circuits". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100.618 March (2003): 3479-84. Network. 28 February 2011. .Henderlong, Jennifer and Mark R. Lepper. “The Effects of Praise on Children's Intrinsic Motivation: A Review and Synthesis.” Psychological Bulletin 128.5 (2002): 774-95. Network. 28 February 2011. Salamone, J D. and M Correa. “Motivational views of reinforcement: Implications for understanding the behavioral functions of the nucleus accumbens of dopamine.” Behavioral Brain Research 137 (2002): 3-25. Pubmed. Network. February 28, 2011. .Wood, Samuel E., Ellen Green, and Denise Boyd. Master the world of psychology. 3rd ed. Np: Allyn & Bacon, 2008. 12-18. Press.