Posted on 09/15/2006 5:31:07 PM PDT by Alter Kaker
Sept. 15, 2006 — Are whites smarter than blacks? Are men better than women at science? Those are the stereotypes. But now psychologists say, wait a second, you don't understand the power of a stereotype.
One study showed that women who watched commercials with stereotypical ditzy females before taking a math test scored 38 percent lower than women who didn't see the ads. The Kaplan Education and Test Prep company helped us run similar tests.
And sure enough: Even in our unscientific test, the women who viewed the sexist commercials did worse.
This stereotype effect has been found in study after study, said New York University psychology professor Joshua Aronson
"We found that just reminding the women that they were college students at a selective college overcame the gender gap. However, when we reminded them that they were women, the gap widens," Aronson said.
Aronson said that when he reminds Asians that Asians do well in math, their scores go up.
Then what does the stereotype that blacks test poorly do to a black person about to take a test?
"The situation of taking an IQ test for a black kid is so loaded that it's not a direct measure of their intelligence," Aronson said.
He found he could change blacks' scores simply by what he told them before the test.
"Tell people taking that test that this isn't a test at all, that it's a puzzle, and the black students' scores jump dramatically," Aronson said. Proof, according to Aronson, that mind-set matters. That was also found in golf experiments done by Jeff Stone at the University of Arizona.
The test is designed to measure the personal factors that correlate with your natural athletic ability.
First, black and white students are told that the miniature golf game they are about to play will be a test of athletic ability.
After hearing that, blacks performed better than whites. Blacks, after all, have heard plenty about blacks being natural athletes.
But, when students are told the golf game is a test of intelligence, his study found the black scores were 18 percent worse.
Some of this research, showing that stereotypes can become self-fulfilling prophecies, was inspired by an Iowa schoolteacher's surprising experiment.
The Power of Words
Almost 40 years ago, teacher Jane Elliott decided to show her third graders what it was like to live with discrimination. So she divided her classes by eye color. ABC was there to film one of her tests.
Elliott said to the kids, "The blue-eyed people are the better people in this room. Oh, yes they are. This is a fact. Blue-eyed people are better than brown-eyed people."
She had the so-called inferior brown-eyed group wear these identifying collars around their necks, and she told them that they were lazy and slow, and they'd have shorter recess.
"Brown-eyed people are not to play with the blue-eyed people on the playground," Elliott said.
Soon, the kids' behavior changed. The brown-eyed children were miserable. The next day, she reversed the roles. .
"Yesterday, I told you that brown-eyed people aren't as good as blue-eyed people. That wasn't true. The truth is that brown-eyed people are better than blue-eyed people," Elliott said
The children just laughed. But then Elliott gave them a flash card test. After the brown-eyed children had been labeled inferior, it took them five minutes to finish the flash cards. But the next day, when they were treated as the superior group, they finished in half the time.
"When you're told you're superior, you act up to that," Elliott said.
But the children she had treated as inferior that day had the opposite test results. That's when Elliott realized that mind-set can really change academic performance.
Although it was just an exercise, it still proved what a powerful effect being treated as an inferior can have.
The good news, researchers say, is that if students and teachers are just aware of the stereotype effect, then they're on their way toward overcoming part of it.
I can't jump.
Freepers are widely known to be the smartest and most influential group of citizens in the country.
come on. everyone knows that television doesn't influence people's behavior. the billions of dollars that are spent each year on advertising and political campaigns...that's just for tax deductions. There's no profit in it. //sarc sarc
Internet news readers are smarter & sexier than MSM news sloths. YOU KNEW THAT, THOUGH...
IMHO it is not stereotyping, but a level of expectation that a child percieves that affects his/her performance. Of course, I haven't gotten a gazillion dollar grant from the government to prove that to the NEA either.
Thanks. I shall repeat this mantra 20 times a day.
perception, suggestion, affecting reality, becoming self-fulfilling...etc.etc. that's why the enemy wants to own the media, the schools, and abolish the churches.
It has to be the "self esteem" that they have, they won't be any good in the work force if they can be manipulated that way .
Interesting. I've seen a bunch of stuff lately on "affirmations" and that they work. I even saw that preacher Joel Osteen talk about this. He told the story of a woman who smoked like a chimney, but wanted to quite. Every time she had a cigarette she would say "I hate this cigarette, I just hate smoking", etc. It wasn't true, but over time she sort of brainwashed herself, and did quit smoking. Even if you don't believe what you are saying, it seems you can still convince your subconscious mind.
This is why children should be homeschooled.
So how is it that the "Mainsteam Media" keeps up the stereotype that Liberals are smarter than conservatives--but then the Liberals are still stuck on stupid?
I believe this proves the point about having a stable home life for children. If children are loved, told they are important and valued, they will naturally have self-esteem and desire accomplishments, regardless of stereotypes they may face outside the home.
Actually, Aronson is not telling the truth. There *are* negative studies of so-called "stereotype threat" (the bigger and better ones). Oh and one that was done by his mentor, Claude Steele, but not published so as to create the appearance that there is more support for this notion than actually exists.
Freepers are widely known to be the smartest and most influential group of citizens in the country.
Hey! It Really Works! I Feel Much Better Already!
I think that test on the 3rd graders is abuse. My husband had a 'sensitivity-training' class like that when he was teaching at a 'Christian' (liberal)University. He came home mad as a hornet.
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