Stereotype threat

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Revision as of 22:49, 11 July 2011 by Chicks1 (talk | contribs) (How to Reduce Stereotype Threat)
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Stereotype threat is when an individual is at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about his or her own group. Therefore, an individual may not perform according to his or her innate ability, rather this ability is impacted by generally held beliefs regarding this individual's grouping, whether it is by sex, age, gender, race, etc. Click Here to learn more.

Examples of Stereotype Threat

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Steele & Aronson, 1995


Aronson, Fried, & Good, 2002


Ambady, Paik, Steele, Owen-Smith, & Mitchell, 2004











How to Reduce Stereotype Threat

  • Reframing the task
  • Deemphasizing threatened social identities
  • Encouraging self-affirmation
  • Emphasizing high standards with assurances of capability
  • Providing role models
  • Providing external attributions for difficulty
  • Emphasizing an incremental view of ability


Click Here for details in how to implement the above solutions.

Conclusion

In order to create a more inclusive classroom environment, economics professors should be aware of stereotype threat and its potential effects upon students. To explore more information concerning stereotype threat, please go to this website

Sources

Stroessner, Steven, and Catherine Good. ReducingStereotypeThreat.org. Consortium of High Achievement and Success (CHAS) and Barnard College. Web. 11 July 2011. <http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org/>.