On NOVA Next: Stereotype Threat and Biased Testing

The good folks at NOVA Next were good enough to publish my article on a new social psychology experiment. Stereotype threat is when someone fears they are at risk of confirming a negative stereotype about their group. It helps explain why women and ethnic minority students underperform on standardized exams that begin by asking for your sex and ethnicity. The researchers I spoke to found that stereotype threat's effect can be reversed under certain conditions, though.