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Are you at risk for stereotype threat? Ask Dr. Stroessner
updated
03.28.08
Prof.
Steven Stroessner |
Picture
this: In an advanced physics class, a professor poses a question
and remarks, "Why don't we let one of the women answer
a problem." The students politely laugh, but several
females look embarrassed. Is this a mere social faux pas on
the part of the professor or an example of the psychological
phenomenon known as "stereotype threat"?
"It's
probably both," said Steven Stroessner, Professor of Psychology at Barnard College.
"The professor might not have meant to cause any harm,
but by saying something like that he's definitely put the
women in the class in a position where they experience something
we call 'stereotype threat' against them."
What is stereotype threat? It is the fear that one's behavior
will confirm an existing stereotype of a group with which
one identifies. Stereotype threat can hinder performance,
alter professional aspirations, and even result in a distancing
of one's self from the stereotyped group. And no one is immune
from it.
"All
people are vulnerable to stereotype threat and are capable
of inducing it in others. It tends to arise through unintentional
comments and actions," said Stroessner. "However,
it is undeniably true that some stereotypes are more widely
held and more likely to be endorsed than others." Stroessner
and his colleague Catherine Good, assistant professor of psychology
at Baruch College, are raising awareness of the phenomenon
through their one-of-a-kind website: reducingstereotypethreat.org.
Arguably
the most comprehensive site of its kind, it contains easy-to-read
summaries, written by Stroessner, of more than 130 research
papers, most containing information from multiple studies,
and is intended to be used as a tool for faculty, teachers,
students and the general public. The website has been a valuable
resource especially to researchers, helping them understand
how different parts of the issue fit together, and identifying
missing links in the research for further exploration.
A relatively
new phenomenon
While stereotyping has been studied since the nineteenth century,
the concept of "stereotype threat" is somewhat new.
In 1995 psychologists Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson coined
the phrase in a well-received paper on the subject. Steele
and Aronson's study is naturally featured on the website.
"The
site started out as an annotated bibliography on the subject
for Barnard's faculty to use," said Stroessner, who has
studied stereotyping issues for over a decade. "Soon
into my work I realized that the information I was finding
could be valuable to a much wider audience." And what
better way to reach the masses than the Internet, he thought.
Stroessner and Good spent most of last summer compiling information
and writing content for the site. They then hired Barnard
alumna Lauren Webster '04 to design it.
Stroessner,
who updates the pages about once a month, reports that the
site receives about 60 to 80 visitors a day. He hopes the
number will rise over time. The site definitely seems to be
gaining in popularity, he reported. "I get calls now
every month about the site," said Stroessner. "And
because I know many of the academics writing about this topic,
we often get new information even before it is published in
print."
What's
his hope for the future of the website? "I'd like to
see the website continue to grow, materials to stay fresh,
and the information reach as many people as we can."
—Maya Dollarhide
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