A team of Harvard University researchers concluded that ethnic and gender stereotypes can facilitate or impede academic performance, according to a study published in last month's issue of Psychological Science.
Researchers found that stereotypes commonly perceived as being "positive," such as the assumption that Asian-Americans do better in math and science, can raise academic performance. At the same time, "negative" stereotypes, such as the assumption that females are worse at math and science impede their performance.
Researchers asked 46 Asian-American female undergraduates to take a math test under one of three conditions.
The research team found that Asian-American women performed better on the mathematics test when their ethnic was emphasized, but worse when their gender was emphasized, compared to a group who had neither identity emphasized.
In the study, Asian-American women performed better on the mathematics test when their ethnic identity was emphasized, but worse when their gender identity was emphasized, compared to a group who had neither identity emphasized.
Before the quantitative exam, the students were asked to fill out a questionnaire. One third of the women took a questionaire that emphasized their gender identity, while another third of the women took a questionnaire that emphasized their Asian-American identity. The final third had neither ethnic nor gender identity emphasized.
Dartmouth professors and students interviewed for this article generally agreed with the results of the study.
"I think any kind of stereotype affects people," Erica Cho '00 said. "Look at the gender stereotype that women generally dislike or are not good at math. Although there are many women out there that haven't even let this stereotype faze them, I am sure that there are also women out there that have been discouraged even from trying."
"Looking at it from that perspective, I am sure that this ethnic stereotype affects the academic performance of students because some want to meet these 'expectations,'" she said.
Psychology professor Jay Hull also agreed with the results of the study.
"There does seem to be validity and generality to the work," Hull said. "I know of similar work done elsewhere. Nothing similar has been done here. Nevertheless, it is highly likely that similar effects would be observed."
Other students said the Asian ethnic stereotype might have formed from the history of the U.S. immigration policy, which gave preferential treatment to professionals to migrate from Asia before 1965.
"Under the immigration laws, many of the immigrants coming from Asia were from certain socioeconomic class, such as scientist, professionals, and technical and middle class people," Willy Wong '99 said.
Wong, the former president of the Dartmouth Asian Organization and co-founder of the Pan-Asian Council, added that "in those families they probably put higher emphasis on learning math and becoming professionals because their parents were."
"Historically, Asian families have put emphasis on education ... [it] has always been an important value," Wong added. "Those who don't excel might face unnecessary pressure on them to do better in math and science, which can hurt them psychologically if they don't. Especially, if their natural talents are in something else."
Others say racial stereotypes extend beyond math and sciences.
"My Latin teacher in middle school told us that Asians worked harder," Gordon Fu '99 said. "So I worked harder and did well in the class even though I didn't like Latin."
The report also pointed out similar studies where elderly people under performed in a memory test when negative aspects of elderly were identified than when positive aspects were identified.
In another study, African-American students, who are stereotyped as poor students, did poorly relative to white students when they were told a test was diagnostic of their abilities.
