Cognitive consistency and math–gender stereotypes in Singaporean children

Abstract

In social psychology, cognitive consistency is a powerful principle for organizing psychological concepts. There have been few tests of cognitive consistency in children and no research about cognitive consistency in children from Asian cultures, who pose an interesting developmental case. A sample of 172 Singaporean elementary school children completed implicit and explicit measures of math–gender stereotype (male=math), gender identity (me=male), and math self-concept (me=math). Results showed strong evidence for cognitive consistency; the strength of children’s math–gender stereotypes, together with their gender identity, significantly predicted their math self-concepts. Cognitive consistency may be culturally universal and a key mechanism for developmental change in social cognition. We also discovered that Singaporean children’s math–gender stereotypes increased as a function of age and that boys identified with math more strongly than did girls despite Singaporean girls’ excelling in math. The results reveal both cultural universals and cultural variation in developing social cognition.