Can Rewards Obviate Stereotype Threat Effects on Mental Rotation Tasks?

Amanda Kanoy,Tiffany F Sowers,Sheila Brownlow

doi:10.4236/psych.2012.37080

Abstract

We examined whether sex-linked performance differences in Mental Rotation (MR) were obviated by rewards for performing the tasks. MR is typically seen as the domain of men, and therefore women completing the MR tasks likely worked under conditions of stereotype threat, which meant that their performance could vary according to situational variables. Men and women (n = 33 each) performed rotations and provided several self-reflective reports on their performances and background information about their experiences. Half of the participants (within sex) were rewarded for their participation with a gift card. Women’s MR performance was lower than men’s when no reward was given, but equaled it when they were rewarded. The finding was not a function of skill and self-reported effort, and emerged even when a stringent scoring technique was employed. The results suggest that rewards, even if they are not large, may nullify stereotype threat effects on women’s MR.

Highlights

“In the end, it is impossible not to become what others believe you are” Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Memories of My Melancholy Whores, 2005
The concern goes beyond affect states and hinders cognitive performance, typically by increasing arousal (O’Brien & Crandall, 2003), evaluation concern (Brodish & Devine, 2009), self-handicapping behaviors (Keller, 2002), and by introducing intrusive thoughts about “letting your group down” (Cadinu, Maass, Frigerio, Impagliazzo, & Latinotti, 2003; McIntyre, Paulson, & Lord, 2003). Such thoughts may be at the root of the underperformance of Black men in comparison to their White peers on standardized tests (Aronson et al, 1998; Croizet & Claire, 1998), or for White men in similar circumstances when compared to Asian men
Sex-linked stereotype threat effects have been well-documented in the domain of mathematics performance, an academic area where most believe—quite erroneously—that men are superior to women (Else-Quest, Hyde, & Linn, 2010)

Summary

Introduction

“In the end, it is impossible not to become what others believe you are” Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Memories of My Melancholy Whores, 2005. The concern goes beyond affect states and hinders cognitive performance, typically by increasing arousal (O’Brien & Crandall, 2003), evaluation concern (Brodish & Devine, 2009), self-handicapping behaviors (Keller, 2002), and by introducing intrusive thoughts about “letting your group down” (Cadinu, Maass, Frigerio, Impagliazzo, & Latinotti, 2003; McIntyre, Paulson, & Lord, 2003) Such thoughts may be at the root of the underperformance of Black men in comparison to their White peers on standardized tests (Aronson et al, 1998; Croizet & Claire, 1998), or for White men in similar circumstances when compared to Asian men (who may be seen as gifted in mathematics; Smith & White, 2002). Nullifying a stereotype threat and preventing underperformance is possible through a variety of means

Methods

Results

Conclusion