2. My background
• Social Psychology
• Gossip, interpersonal communication, social
perception, person memory
• Yes, Psychology is a science
– Hypothetico-deductive method, aiming to
objectively measure human behaviour
– BUT humans are sneaky
3. Humans & Groups
• Evolutionary basis
– Increases survival
– Efficient use of resources
• We behave differently in
groups
– Conformity
– Group think
– Different forms of social
identity
4. Stereotyping
• Stereotyping:
– “widely shared and
simplified evaluative
image of a social
group and it’s
members”
(Hogg & Vaughan, 2005, p. 584)
– Social categorisation
– Use of prototypes The Scientist
5. Meta-stereotypes
• Meta-cognition
– ‘knowing that we
know’ (or don’t know)
• Meta-stereotyping
– Being aware of the
stereotypes others
hold of us
e.g. as a
‘woman’, ‘British’, ‘stu
dent’ etc
6. Effects of stereotyping
• Negative stereotypes!
– Creation of ingroups and outgroups
– Dehumanisation of individuals
– Prejudice
• Behavioural assimilation
– Taking on the characteristics of a social group after
exposure to stereotypes about them
• Stereotype threat
– Not fulfilling potential due to meta-stereotypes
7. Behavioural assimilation
she cake the last took piece of rudely
She rudely took the last piece of cake
she others usually to respectful is
She is usually respectful to others
friend’s sends birthday a card for a she
She sends a card for a friend’s birthday
forgetful was very these she days often
She was often very forgetful these days Slow
very was yesterday thirsty she
She was very thirsty yesterday
8. Stereotype threat
• Thinking about meta-stereotypes about you
+
Women are Good baking
good at baking performance
-
Women aren’t Poor maths
good at maths performance
9. Gender stereotype threat
Only happens when:
Maths performance
- You say that gender is
important to the task
- The women in question are
high identifiers as ‘women’
Male Female
We are not consciously
aware of the effects of
Seems to be due to effects stereotype threat
on working memory Thinking about stereotypes
others hold of us uses up
cognitive resources
10. Effects on women in science
• Women face psychological barriers as well as
physical ones to entering
science/engineering/technological fields
– What it means to be female in society tells you that
‘women don’t do science’ (descriptive norm) and that
‘women shouldn’t do science’ (prescriptive norm)
– Women unconsciously take on this stereotype and it
might stop them reaching their science/maths
engineering potential
11. Changing the status quo
• These gender stereotypes are no longer as strong
• Probably most problematic at school?
• It’s not necessarily about persuading girls that
they want to do science but that they can
• Making a wide range of skills/abilities/careers
part of which it means to be a women in society
