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See Your Way to Success: Imagery Perspective Influences Performance under Stereotype Threat

Rea, Jessica Nicole
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429717552

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields may experience negative outcomes due to the threat of the stereotype that women are not as good at math as men. When encountering this threat, what might allow women to protect themselves against it? This dissertation investigates how manipulating the visual perspective (own 1st-person vs. observer’s 3rd-person) used to visualize a past success could inoculate women against stereotype threat. First, I outline how stereotype threat occurs, detailing how information about the ingroup (i.e., women), the ability (i.e., math skills), and the self combines in order to create a fear of confirming the negative stereotype against one’s group. Then, I outline a model of visual imagery perspective, arguing that third-person (vs. first-person) imagery can facilitate processing where people integrate the imagined event with their broader sense of self. Therefore, I argue that visualizing a past math success from the third-person (vs. first-person) perspective can protect women against stereotype threat by connecting the success with their broad sense of self, thereby allowing them to perform as well as if they had encountered no stereotype threat. Next, I describe the method and results of two experiments that show support for the idea that third-person (vs. first-person) imagery can protect women against stereotype threat in the context of STEM skills. The first experiment takes place in a naturally-occurring math classroom, while the second experiment controls for more environmental factors by taking place in a psychology laboratory. Both experiments manipulate the visual imagery perspective (first- vs. third-person) used to imagine a past math success before encountering a math test, which is manipulated to be framed as provoking stereotype threat or not, which is then measured for performance. The results of both experiments are discussed in detail, along with recommendations for future research to clarify the results of these two studies. Finally, I integrate the results of the present research with existing theories and findings in stereotype threat and imagery perspective, then describe potential applications for these findings in order to help improve the performance and experience of women in STEM.
Lisa Libby, PhD (Advisor)
Dylan Wagner, PhD (Committee Member)
Baldwin Way, PhD (Committee Member)
73 p.
Experimental Psychology; Gender; Psychology; Social Psychology
stereotype threat; visual imagery perspective; performance; gender; STEM; social psychology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rea, J. N. (2015). See Your Way to Success: Imagery Perspective Influences Performance under Stereotype Threat [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429717552

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rea, Jessica. See Your Way to Success: Imagery Perspective Influences Performance under Stereotype Threat . 2015. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429717552.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rea, Jessica. "See Your Way to Success: Imagery Perspective Influences Performance under Stereotype Threat ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429717552

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1429717552
946
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.