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This paper reports three experiments examining the
attenuation of stereotype threat when women are provided
with role models who suggest suggest competence. Experiment 1 involved highly math-identified male and
female students who were given a difficult, diagnostic
math test by one of three male or female experimenters. The
math competence of the experimenter was
established by indicating that the experimenter had
developed the test and would be providing feedback on
the students performance. Women performed as well
as men when the test was administered by a woman,
but they performed more poorly (and showed lower state
self-esteem) when the test had been
administered by a man. In Experiment 2, all
participants were led to believe that they would
interact with a female experimenter, but there was no
experimenter physically present during testing. In
addition, the description of the experimenter was varied
to suggest either high or low competence in math. Women performed more poorly with a low-competence
experimenter, but men actually performed better when
they thought the experimenter was low in competence. When the experimenter was supposedly high in competence,
men and women showed equivalent performance. In
Experiment 3, female students were led to believe that
they would interact with either a high- or
low-competence female experimenter. Women in the
high-competence experimenter condition performed better
on the test, had elevated appraisals of their own
math ability, and showed higher levels of state self
esteem compared with women in the low-competence
experimenter condition. These studies show that
providing a role model who challenges stereotypic
assumptions about mathematical ability can eliminate
stereotype threat effects in that domain.
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