The Super Mario Effect - Tricking Your Brain into Learning More | Mark Rober | TEDxPenn
TLDRIn this engaging talk, the speaker explores the impact of mindset on learning and success through a computer programming puzzle involving 50,000 participants. The experiment revealed that those not penalized for failure had a significantly higher success rate, leading to the concept of 'life gamification'. By reframing challenges as games, like toddlers and Super Mario players do, one can embrace failure as a learning opportunity, leading to greater persistence, enjoyment, and achievement. The speaker's personal anecdotes and thought experiments further illustrate the power of this approach in fostering a positive attitude towards learning and overcoming obstacles.
Takeaways
- 🧩 The speaker conducted an experiment with a programming puzzle to demonstrate that anyone can learn to code, but the real focus was on how people respond to failure.
- 🎯 The experiment had two versions of a puzzle; one penalized players for failure while the other did not, showing a significant difference in success rates.
- 📉 Players who were penalized for failure had a lower success rate (52%) compared to those who were not penalized (68%).
- 🔄 The group not penalized made nearly two and a half times more attempts to solve the puzzle, indicating a positive correlation between attempts and success.
- 💡 The importance of framing the learning process correctly was highlighted, suggesting that not fearing failure can lead to more attempts and success.
- 👶 The speaker compared the learning process to how toddlers learn, emphasizing the lack of concern for failure and the focus on the end goal.
- 🎮 The 'Super Mario Effect' was introduced as an analogy for learning from failure without being deterred by it, similar to how gamers approach challenges.
- 🕹️ The speaker shared personal experiences with building projects, illustrating how embracing failure as part of the process can lead to innovation and success.
- 🎯 The concept of life gamification was presented as a way to reframe challenges, making the process of learning and failing feel more natural and enjoyable.
- 🎲 The speaker suggested that reframing challenges as games can change one's attitude towards failure and increase the desire to keep trying and learning.
- 🎓 The speaker's approach to science education involves making learning fun and engaging, using entertaining examples to explain complex concepts.
Q & A
What was the purpose of the computer programming puzzle presented to the YouTube followers?
-The purpose of the computer programming puzzle was to demonstrate that anyone from any background could learn to code. However, the real intention was to study the impact of failure on learning by presenting two slightly different versions of the puzzle with different consequences for failure.
What were the two different versions of the puzzle presented to the YouTube followers?
-One version of the puzzle did not penalize players for failed attempts, simply showing a 'Please try again' message. The other version penalized players by deducting five points from their starting score of 200 for each failed attempt.
What was the surprising result from the data collected on the two versions of the puzzle?
-The success rate for those who were penalized for failed attempts was around 52%, whereas for those who were not penalized, the success rate was 68%, showing a statistically significant difference of 16%.
How did the number of attempts to solve the puzzle differ between the two groups?
-The group that did not see failing in a negative light made nearly two and a half times more attempts to solve the puzzle before finding success.
What is the 'Super Mario Effect' mentioned in the script?
-The 'Super Mario Effect' refers to the attitude of focusing on the end goal and learning from failures without being overly concerned about them, similar to how players of Super Mario Bros. focus on beating the game rather than dwelling on their failures.
How does the speaker relate the learning process to the experience of toddlers learning to walk?
-The speaker relates the learning process to toddlers learning to walk by pointing out that toddlers are not concerned with failure and are constantly trying new things. Their parents also do not punish them for failure but celebrate their successes, which encourages more learning and growth.
What was the speaker's goal with the dartboard project mentioned in the script?
-The goal of the dartboard project was to create a system where a dartboard could track a thrown dart and move to ensure that the dart hits the bullseye every time.
What technical challenges did the speaker face during the dartboard project?
-The speaker faced challenges such as the need for rapid tracking and movement of the board in the time it takes for a human to blink, which required the use of stepper motors, motion controllers, a Vicon motion capture system with six cameras, and extensive code tweaking.
How did the speaker's attitude towards the dartboard project failures compare to the attitude of playing Super Mario Bros.?
-The speaker's attitude towards the dartboard project failures was similar to the attitude of playing Super Mario Bros., where each failure was seen as an opportunity to learn what went wrong and how to improve, rather than a reason to give up.
What was the outcome of the dartboard project when the speaker demonstrated it on Jimmy Kimmel's show?
-Despite technical difficulties during rehearsal, the dartboard successfully moved to catch a bullseye on live television during the demonstration on Jimmy Kimmel's show.
How does the speaker suggest reframing challenges to enhance learning and success?
-The speaker suggests reframing challenges by treating them like games, focusing on the end goal, and learning from failures without being overly concerned about them. This approach can make learning more natural and enjoyable, and can lead to more success.
Outlines
😀 Learning Through Failure: The Coding Puzzle Experiment
In this paragraph, the speaker describes an experiment conducted with a computer programming puzzle on YouTube. The goal was to navigate a car through a maze using code blocks representing programming operations like if-else statements and while loops. The twist was that two versions of the puzzle were presented: one where failure did not result in a loss of points, and another where players lost five points for each failed attempt. The experiment revealed a significant difference in success rates, with those not penalized for failure having a higher success rate and more attempts, indicating that the perception of failure greatly impacts learning and success.
🎮 Embracing Failure: The Super Mario Effect
The speaker transitions to the concept of embracing failure by drawing a parallel with the experience of playing Super Mario Bros. He reflects on how children and gamers focus on the end goal rather than the failures along the way, which leads to more learning and success. This attitude is referred to as the 'Super Mario Effect,' where the focus is on overcoming challenges rather than dwelling on setbacks. The speaker then shares personal anecdotes, including his experience with building a dartboard that could track and move to catch a bullseye, illustrating how a playful and persistent approach can lead to innovation and achievement.
🛠️ Life Gamification and the Dartboard Success Story
In this paragraph, the speaker delves deeper into the concept of life gamification, using his experience of creating a high-tech dartboard as an example. He discusses the three-year journey of developing the dartboard, which involved numerous failures and setbacks. Despite these challenges, he maintained a positive attitude, comparing the process to the persistence of a toddler learning to walk or the determination of a gamer trying to beat a level in Super Mario. The speaker emphasizes that gamifying challenges can make the process of learning and failing feel natural and enjoyable, ultimately leading to success.
🎓 Rethinking Learning: Science and the Super Mario Effect
The speaker concludes by discussing his approach to science communication on his YouTube channel, where he aims to transform the often-negative perception of learning science into an engaging and entertaining experience. He uses creative projects, such as building a hot tub with liquefied sand, to explain scientific principles like buoyancy in a fun and accessible way. The speaker suggests that by reframing learning as a game and focusing on the excitement of discovery, the fear of failure can be diminished, making learning a more natural and enjoyable process.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Computer Programming Puzzle
💡Code Blocks
💡Run
💡Failure
💡Success Rate
💡Learning Process
💡Toddlers
💡Super Mario Effect
💡Gamification
💡Fear of Failure
💡Reframe
Highlights
Creator challenged 50,000 YouTube followers to a programming puzzle to demonstrate that anyone can learn to code.
Two versions of the puzzle were served with different feedback on failure, affecting the participants' success rates.
Group without penalties for failure had a 68% success rate compared to 52% for the penalized group, showing a 16% difference.
The non-penalized group attempted to solve the puzzle nearly 2.5 times more than the penalized group.
The importance of framing the learning process to embrace failure for increased success and learning.
Drawing parallels between toddlers' fearless approach to learning and the benefits of not being concerned with failure.
The 'Super Mario Effect' as a metaphor for focusing on the goal rather than failures, leading to faster learning.
Personal anecdotes about learning from video games, such as Super Mario Bros., to illustrate the learning from failure.
The speaker's experience with building a moving dartboard that ensures a bullseye every time.
The three-year development process of the dartboard and maintaining a positive attitude towards failure.
A demonstration of the moving dartboard on Jimmy Kimmel Live! showcasing the Super Mario Effect in real life.
The idea of reframing challenges as games to make learning more engaging and less intimidating.
Using the example of a test versus a game to show how perception changes the willingness to engage.
Incorporating fun and engaging elements into science education to make learning more appealing.
The speaker's approach to science communication through entertaining experiments, like a liquefied sand hot tub.
The importance of embracing failure as a natural part of the learning process, similar to a video game.
A thought experiment illustrating how reframing a task as a game can change one's attitude towards it.
Encouraging the audience to view life's challenges as opportunities for learning and growth, not as insurmountable obstacles.
The conclusion that by treating life's challenges like video games, one can learn more and achieve greater success.
Transcripts
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