Psychologist Margaret Shih and her colleagues conducted a study where mathematically gifted Asian American female college students were randomly assigned to three groups. Group 1 filled out a questionnaire about their Asian background, designed to remind them of their Asian identity. Group 2 filled out a questionnaire designed to remind them of their female identity. Group 3 was the control group and filled out a neutral questionnaire. The students who were reminded of their racial identity as Asians scored significantly higher on the exam than the students who were reminded of their gender identity as women. The effect of gender identity in this study is an example of:

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The effect observed in the study is an example of stereotype threat. Stereotype threat refers to the phenomenon where individuals perform worse on a task when they are reminded of negative stereotypes about their group. In this case, reminding the female students of their gender identity may have activated negative gender stereotypes, leading to lower performance on the exam. In contrast, reminding the Asian American students of their Asian identity may have activated positive stereotypes about Asians being good at math, leading to higher performance on the exam.

Psychologist Margaret Shih and Her Colleagues Conducted a Study Where