CAREER: Women in the Math and Sciences: Counteracting the Impact of Negative Group Stereotypes on Performance

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Stereotype threat occurs when awareness of a negative group stereotype in a particular domain reduces the quality of performance exhibited by group members. The current work (a) examines how stereotype threat undermines women?s math performance and expression of math proficiency in education situations and (b) employs laboratory and education-based interventions to alleviate the deleterious impact of negative group stereotypes. Only by understanding how stereotype threat hurts performance can training regimens and performance strategies be designed to ameliorate its impact. The current studies build on earlier work suggesting that stereotype threat affects performance on difficult academic tasks (e.g., math) by inducing situation-related worries that consume working memory (WM). The first set of studies in the present project investigate why math performance changes when WM is impaired, specifically examining how problem solving strategies are altered when WM is limited. The second set of studies attempt to prevent WM limitations to begin with by reducing ST-related worries and altering views of the ST situation. The work draws on literatures exploring how individuals regulate unwanted emotions (e.g., fear/disgust) and tests how these same emotion regulation strategies can be successfully applied to ST.