See Your Way to Success: Imagery Perspective Influences Performance under Stereotype Threat
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields may experience negative outcomes due to the threat of the stereotype that women are not as good at math as men.When encountering this threat, what might allow women to protect themselves against it?This dissertation investigates how manipulating the visual perspective (own 1stperson vs. observer's 3rd-person) used to visualize a past success could inoculate women against stereotype threat.First, I outline how stereotype threat occurs, detailing how information about the ingroup (i.e., women), the ability (i.e., math skills), and the self combines in order to create a fear of confirming the negative stereotype against one's group.Then, I outline a model of visual imagery perspective, arguing that third-person (vs.first-person) imagery can facilitate processing where people integrate the imagined event with their broader sense of self.Therefore, I argue that visualizing a past math success from the third-person (vs.first-person) perspective can protect women against stereotype threat by connecting the success with their broad sense of self, thereby allowing them to perform as well as if they had encountered no stereotype threat.Next, I describe the method and results of two experiments that show support for the idea that third-person (vs.first-person) imagery can protect women against stereotype threat in the context of STEM skills.The first experiment takes place in a naturallyoccurring math classroom, while the second experiment controls for more environmental Baldwin Way, for being so generous with their time and thoughts on this project.I would also like to thank the members of the Social Cognition Research Group at The Ohio State University for their insightful comments on this work throughout the years.In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to the past and present members of the SuPeR (Subjective Perspectives Research) Lab, who have not only contributed to valuable discussions on this work as it progressed but who have also become my colleagues and dear friends throughout my time at Ohio State.My sincere gratitude goes to
Author: Jessica Rea
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Ohio State University
OpenAlex ID: W2520430653