Abstract
For 20 years, the impact of stereotypical knowledge on math performance has been intensively investigated, especially within the framework of “stereotype threat” (Steele, 1997). Stereotype threat (ST) theory and research “do not focus on the internalization of inferiority images or their consequences. Instead, they focus on the immediate situational threat that derives from the broad dissemination of negative stereotypes about one's group—the threat of possibly being judged and treated stereotypically, or of possibly self-fulfilling such a stereotype” (Steele and Aronson, 1995, p. 798). Here, we distinguish between ST and another powerful yet relatively neglected factor in the determination of math performance: self-images of inferiority derived from personal history of failure. There is some evidence that such self-images of inferiority may also lead to under performance in math tests (hereafter referred to as idiosyncratic effects). One question that arises is whether and how ST and idiosyncratic effects interact with each other, which would offer a fuller picture combining the intervention of stereotypic and idiosyncratic knowledge in math performance.
Highlights
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Cognition, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology
Monteil (1988, 1991) showed that students with past failures in math who publicly received a positive feedback on a preliminary math test obtained lower performance on a subsequent test when it was taken in a public rather than private context, as if they could not publicly deal with a positive feedback
The present findings provide first evidence that both stereotype threat and idiosyncratic effects can occur in children without cumulative effects: stereotype threat occurred among highachieving-girls, while the idiosyncratic effect occurred in lowachieving boys
Summary
ST refers to a decrease in test performance in situations where individuals feel threatened by the possibility that their performance will confirm—to others, and/or themselves—a negative stereotype about their group abilities (Steele, 1997). This situational threat increases concern about being stereotypically judged and mistreated, which impairs processing efficiency and leads to underperformance (Schmader and Johns, 2003). Consistent with this, ST effects have been mostly examined and found among high achieving females majoring in Math, Science, Stereotypic and Idiosyncratic Knowledge in Math and Engineering (Spencer et al, 1999; Bell et al, 2003; Good et al, 2008; Régner et al, 2010) and high math-identified females (Cadinu et al, 2003; Keller, 2007). The myriad studies conducted since Steele and Aronson’s (1995) seminal paper clearly demonstrate the influence of stereotypical knowledge in the math domain
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