Stereotypes impact academics, study finds

By KATE DAILEY
Collegian Staff Writer

Students' academic performances often depend on how society perceives their intelligence, according to a study by Harvard University.

The study, co-authored by Harvard psychology professor Nalini Ambady and graduate students Margaret Shih and Todd Pittinsky, showed race and gender stereotypes may influence academic performance.

The team tested female Asian-American Harvard undergraduates over the course of a year. They spilt the women into three groups and gave them identical standardized math tests. Prior to the testing, the students in one group were asked questions about the language spoken in their home, ethnic foods they enjoyed and other questions meant to remind them of their Asian heritage.

The second group was asked questions about co-educational housing -- questions to remind those students of their gender. The third group, which was the control group, was asked no questions about either race or gender.

None of the questions mentioned the stereotypes associated with each group, specifically the assumption Asian Americans do exceptionally well in mathematics. Researchers also did not directly address the stereotype that men perform better than women in mathematics and science.

The test results showed those who were reminded of their Asian heritage did better than those in the control group. The group that was asked about gender did worse than the other two groups.

This study, published in the January issue of Psychological Science, is the most recent among many dealing with the way stereotypes affect academic performance. This study, however, is one of the first to deal with positive stereotypes as well as negative ones.

"There has been some work showing negative stereotypes cause students to do worse," Ambady said. "This shows it can go both ways."

Penn State students and faculty members had mixed reactions to the Harvard study. Trevor Hsu (sophomore-management science and information systems) said while positive stereotypes can be flattering, they also create problems.

"It puts pressure on Asians themselves to fit that stereotype ... and when they can't, it's difficult," he said. "They can feel that they let themselves down because they have not achieved the level of excellence that the stereotype has set."

Frank Worrell, assistant professor of school psychology, said the study should not validate stereotypes, even if they are positive ones. Asian Americans who do not perform well in mathematics are often denied the assistance they need to improve, he added.

"The problem is stereotypes are not the whole picture," he said, adding the model minority stereotype can be harmful if the student cannot fulfill expectations.

Elizabeth Pinel, assistant professor of psychology, who conducted a similar study, said the results are significant because they show the perception of intelligence can influence a student's actual performance. This impacts the level importance that should be placed on tests given to measure intelligence.

"This study shows . . . performance can depend on the situation that people find themselves in and it can be affected by beliefs about the group to (which) one belongs," Pinel said.

This study is just the first step, Ambady said.

"We're trying now to determine what types of intervention to take," she said.

"The next step is how to apply and harness this so as to promote performance."