A recent study used brain imaging on women solving math problems. Group A was reminded that women usually perform poorly in math, while Group B was not. The scans of the two groups showed that Group A:
A) showed activity in the same brain areas as Group B
B) showed more activity in the areas involved in learning math
C) showed more activity in areas involved in social and emotional processing
D) showed less activity in the areas of the brain involved in learning math

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Group A, who were reminded of the negative stereotype about women in math, showed more activity in the areas of the brain involved in social and emotional processing. This suggests that the stereotype threat had triggered anxiety and negative emotions in these women, which drew attention away from the task at hand (learning math). Group B did not show this increased activity in social and emotional processing areas, suggesting that they were less affected by the stereotype threat.

A Recent Study Used Brain Imaging on Women Solving Math