Originally Posted by ColinsMum
The counter-theory is that any praise lowers the child's intrinsic motivation for the activity (e.g., making them less likely to choose the activity next time they have a genuinely free choice, which they expect to be unrewarded by praise).
This makes better sense to me than groundless ego boosting. I�m still in the camp for praising effort and perseverance, especially in young children, but am interested in your book recommendation.