title: Reducing the Impact of Stereotype Threat on Women's Math Performance: Are Two Strategies Better Than One?
abstract: INTRODUCTION: Two studies examined whether stereotype threat impairs women's math performance and whether concurrent threat reduction strategies can be used to offset this effect.  METHOD: In Study 1, collegiate men and women (N = 100) watched a video purporting that males and females performed equally well (gender-fair) or males outperformed females (gender differences) on an imminent math test. In Study 2, (N = 44) women viewed the gender differences video, followed by misattribution (cue present, absent) and self-affirmation (present, absent) manipulations, before taking the aforesaid test.  RESULTS: In the initial study, women underperformed men on the test after receiving the gender differences video, whereas no gender differences emerged in the gender-fair condition. In Study 2, affirming the self led to better performance than not doing so. Planned contrasts indicated, however, that only women receiving a misattribution cue and self-affirmation opportunity outperformed their counterparts not given these reduction strategies.  DISCUSSION: These findings are discussed relative to Stereotype Threat Theory and educational implications are provided.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Calverton, MD USA.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Jones