Developing character traits such as perseverance, entrepreneurship and the ability to collaborate, can have a positive impact on academic performance, but too many individuals still believe that IQ determines success, a leading cognitive scientist has said.

Professor Guy Claxton, a visiting professor in education at King's College London, says that while an "increasing number" of schools realise that teaching "character" not only helps youngsters thrive in life, but also perform better in tests, there are still people who hold a "very antiquated view of children's minds".

He said that one of the reluctances to teaching character comes from the "naïve view of education that says that the only things that matter are ability and effort." He added that some people still believe "either children try or they don’t try, and either they are bright or they are not very bright."