A new study from researchers at Stanford University suggests that the kind of praise parents give young children affects how they are motivated in later years.

The research, which appeared in the journal Child Development, focused on videos of mothers interacting with their children when they were age 1-3. The researchers noted how mothers praised their children and then returned to evaluate the children five years later.

Toddlers who had received praise about their effort (“You worked so hard on that.”) were more likely as 7- and 8-year-olds to be willing to take on challenges. And children who were praised for their actions versus innate abilities (“Good throw!” versus “You are great at baseball.”) were more likely to believe their own behavior could change and develop.

The researchers believe that, if parents want their children to work hard and be able to deal with failure, they may want to focus on praising effort.