Why do women underperform under stereotype threat? Evidence for the role of negative thinking.
This study investigated the role of negative thinking as a potential mediator of performance deficits under stereotype threat. After being assigned to a stereotype-threat or a no-threat condition, 60 female participants were asked to complete a difficult math task. Using the thought-listing technique, women under stereotype threat reported a higher number of negative thoughts specifically related to the test and to mathematics compared with women in the no-threat condition. Moreover, women under stereotype threat also showed a sharp decrease in performance that (a) was most pronounced in the second half of the test and (b) was mediated by the increase in negative thinking.
Cadinu
Mara
M
Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, Università di Padua, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padua, Italy. mara.cadinu@unipd.it
Maass
Anne
A
Rosabianca
Alessandra
A
Kiesner
Jeff
J
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D013240:Stereotyping; D013850:Thinking