Research

My research focuses on two traits that predict achievement: grit and self-control. Grit is the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward very long-term goals (Duckworth et al., 2007). Self-control is the voluntary regulation of impulses in the presence of momentarily gratifying temptations (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005; Duckworth & Steinberg, 2015). On average, individuals who are gritty are more self-controlled, but the correlation between these two traits is not perfect: Some individuals are paragons of grit but not self-control, and some exceptionally well-regulated individuals are not especially gritty (Duckworth & Gross, 2014).

Measures

Researchers and educators are welcome to use the scales I have developed for non-commercial purposes.

On a cautionary note, these scales were originally designed to assess individual differences rather than subtle within-individual changes in behavior over time. Thus, it’s uncertain whether they are valid indicators of pre- to post-change as a consequence of interventions. I also discourage the use of these scales in high-stakes settings where faking is a concern (e.g., admissions or hiring decisions). Please see the article Measurement Matters for more information.

If you are interested in grit in particular, I encourage you to use the 12-item Grit Scale since the 8-item questionnaire omits items that, in my current view, are important in underscoring goal pursuit over extended time frames.

These scales are copyrighted. They cannot be published or used for commercial purposes or wide public distribution. Therefore, journalists and book authors should not reproduce these scales nor any part of them.

Research

Measures

Grit

12-Item Grit Scale

8-Item Grit Scale

Biodata Grit Activities Grid

Other

Academic Diligence Task

Mirror Tracing Frustration Task

Measures from Gates College Persistence Study

Self-Control Scale (For Children)

Selected Publications

Southwick, D. A., Liu, Z. V., Baldwin, C., Quirk, A. L., Ungar, L. H., Tsay, C. J., & Duckworth, A. L. (2023). The trouble with talent: Semantic ambiguity in the workplace. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 174, 104223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104223.

Duckworth, A. L., & Milkman, K. L. (2022). A guide to megastudies. PNAS Nexus, 1(5), pgac214. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac214.

Duckworth, A. L., & Gross, J. J. (2020). Behavior change. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 161, 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.09.002.

Duckworth, A. L., Milkman, K. L., & Laibson, D. (2019). Beyond willpower: Strategies for reducing failures of self-control. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(3), 102-129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618821893.

Duckworth, A. L., Quirk, A., Gallop, R., Hoyle, R. H., Kelly, D. R., & Matthews, M. D. (2019). Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(47), 23499-23504. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910510116.

Southwick, D. A., Tsay, C. J., & Duckworth, A. L. (2019). Grit at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 39, 100126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2020.100126.

Duckworth, A. L., & Yeager, D. S. (2015). Measurement matters: Assessing personal qualities other than cognitive ability for educational purposes. Educational Researcher, 44(4), 237-251. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15584327.

Duckworth, A. L., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Self-control and grit: Related but separable determinants of success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 319-325. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414541462.

Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087.