Stereotype threat leads to reduction in number of math problems women attempt

The arousal hypotheses of stereotype threat and a simple, instructional intervention first used by Johns, Schmader, and Martens (2005) to alleviate the effect in women's math performance were tested. 148 college students (69 women) provided salivary cortisol samples, completed GRE-Math items un...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:North American journal of psychology 2011-03, Vol.13 (1), p.5
Main Authors: Rivardo, Mark G, Rhodes, Michael E, Camaione, Tyler C, Legg, Jessica M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Anxiety
Coping
Demographic aspects
Females
Gender differences
Hormones
Hypotheses
Influence
Mathematical ability
Mathematical problems
Memory
Nervous system
Problem solving
Psychological aspects
Role models
Sex differences (Psychology)
Stereotype threat
Stress
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Summary:The arousal hypotheses of stereotype threat and a simple, instructional intervention first used by Johns, Schmader, and Martens (2005) to alleviate the effect in women's math performance were tested. 148 college students (69 women) provided salivary cortisol samples, completed GRE-Math items under stereotype threat activating, stereotype threat activating with alternate attribution instructions, or problem solving conditions, and then provided a second cortisol sample. Women in both stereotype threat conditions attempted fewer problems than men and fewer problems than women in the problem solving condition. By employing this strategy, women in the stereotype threat conditions were able to hold their performance accuracy (number correct divided by number attempted) at the level of men. No evidence for the arousal hypothesis or for the effectiveness of intervention was found.
ISSN:1527-7143