February 8, 2008 - 1:00am
By Niyati Harneja
According to a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, women in high-level math courses face a phenomenon called stereotype threat. Stereotype threat occurs when a behavior confirms an existing stereotype; in this case, the stereotype is that women do not perform as well as men on mathematical assessments.
The study, “Problems in the Pipeline: Stereotype Threat and Women’s Achievement in High-Level Math Courses,” was conducted by Catherine Good of Barnard College, Joshua Aronson of New York University and Jayne Ann Harder of the University of Texas, Austin.
