"Stereotype Threat and the Nature and Nurture of Intelligence"

Joshua Aronson
Professor of Applied Psychology
New York University

"Stereotype Threat and the Nature and Nurture of Intelligence"

Psychology experiments suggest that human intelligence, which we tend to think of as quite stable, can be fragile; social factors can suppress intelligent thought. I will discuss a few of the suppressors, chief among them, "stereotype threat," which appears to play a role in the achievement gap between African Americans and Whites on tests and in school and between women and men on measures of math, science, and other stereotypically gendered areas of ability. I will discuss some recent work on stereotype threat, including lab experiments and field interventions.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Scheuer Room
4:15 p.m.