Question 1

Elaine is an engineering professor. Since there aren't a lot of female students in her classes, she regularly encourages them to read biographies of successful female engineers and attend events where female engineers speak. This exposure to female engineers is an effective technique to combat ______________ among the women in Elaine's classes.

Accepted Answer

Stereotype threat refers to being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one's group. By exposing her female students to successful female engineers, Elaine helps combat the negative stereotypes that might affect their performance or discourage them from pursuing engineering, thereby reducing the impact of stereotype threat.

Question 2

One promising technique to protect students from stereotype threat involves asking them to write short affirmations of their _____________, which allows students to strengthen facets of their identity, thus making them less vulnerable to threats.

Accepted Answer

Asking students to write short affirmations of their values helps them strengthen facets of their identity, making them less vulnerable to stereotype threats. This technique is based on the idea that focusing on core personal values can buffer individuals against the negative effects of stereotypes.

Question 3

According to Fiske (2001), people in higher status positions are ______________ likely to stereotype those in lower status positions than the other way around.

Accepted Answer

Fiske (2001) suggests that people in higher status positions are more likely to stereotype those in lower status positions, as they often have less personal interaction with them and rely more on generalized beliefs or stereotypes.

Question 4

Studies show that once someone in power forms a stereotyped judgment, his or her opinion is resistant to change because of

Accepted Answer

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses, making it difficult to change one's opinion once a judgment is formed.

Question 5

UNICEF reports that ______________ of the world's illiterate population is female.

Accepted Answer

Two-thirds of the world's illiterate population is female, highlighting significant gender disparities in education access and quality worldwide.

Question 6

A Gallup poll found that ________________ Americans would rather have a male boss than a female boss.

Accepted Answer

Historical data from Gallup polls indicate that a significant portion of Americans have a preference for male bosses, with findings at times showing that around 1 in 3 Americans would rather work for a man than a woman. This reflects ongoing gender biases in the workplace.

Question 7

The Yale study on prejudice in hiring scientists found that women were ________________ likely to favor male job candidates compared to their male counterparts.

Accepted Answer

The Yale study on prejudice in hiring scientists found that both male and female faculty members were just as likely to favor male job candidates over female ones, indicating that gender bias in hiring practices is not limited to one gender.

Question 8

In the Yale study, researchers found that the starting salaries of female scientists were ______ than salaries for men in the study.

Accepted Answer

The Yale study found that the starting salaries of female scientists were 15% lower than those for men, highlighting a significant gender pay gap in the field.

Question 9

A series of experiments conducted by Maureen Craig and Jennifer Richeson (2014) found that as ethnic and racial diversity increases, it ______________________ if the majority group feels threatened.

Accepted Answer

Craig and Jennifer Richeson's experiments showed that increasing ethnic and racial diversity can foster less tolerance if the majority group feels threatened by these demographic changes.

Question 10

Studies show that intergroup contact helps to decrease

Accepted Answer

Studies have consistently shown that intergroup contact, when properly structured, can effectively decrease prejudice among groups by increasing understanding, empathy, and reducing stereotypes.

Quiz 7: Prejudice: Foundations, Causes, Effects, and Remedies