Positive stereotyping
Negative stereotypes such as girls can?t do math or the old are senile are common within society. The research shows that these false beliefs have a detrimental effect on motivation and performance. An article published in this months Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that the way to overcome such stereotyping is to form a new positive stereotype such as the old are wise or students are good at maths.
The study found that when a negative stereotype (e.g. woman are bad a math) was presented at the same time as a positive stereotype (e.g. students are good at math) women’s performance did not suffer. The set of four studies illustrate that a positive stereotype can preserve memory and help people to perform at their best. At The Cente we think that to overcome such stereotyping a growth mindset should be adopted so as to avoid creating a fixed mindset. To read the article click here. To read more about stereotyping in our new Flourishing section of the website click here.
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