Week 10-11 Article 1 Flashcards
What stereotype is associated with intellectual ability and gender?
The stereotype that high-level intellectual ability (brilliance, genius, etc.) is more commonly attributed to men than women.
How do gendered stereotypes about intellectual ability impact children’s interests?
By age 6, girls are less likely than boys to believe their gender can be “really, really smart,” and they begin to avoid activities considered for children with high intellectual ability.
At what age do children start endorsing the stereotype that brilliance is associated with men?
Children as young as 6 begin to endorse the stereotype that brilliance is associated with men.
What effect do gendered notions of brilliance have on children’s career interests?
These stereotypes influence the career aspirations of both boys and girls, with girls less likely to pursue careers in fields that emphasize brilliance, such as physics or philosophy.
What is the main objective of the studies mentioned in the article?
To explore the early acquisition of the “brilliance = males” stereotype and its immediate effects on children’s interests by the age of 6.
What impact does the “brilliance = males” stereotype have on women’s careers?
It may contribute to women’s underrepresentation in fields that value brilliance, such as mathematics, physics, and philosophy.
What did the first study investigate?
The first study examined the developmental trajectory of the “brilliance = males” stereotype in children aged 5, 6, and 7 using various tasks.
What were the tasks used to assess children’s endorsement of the “brilliance = males” stereotype in the first study?
Task (i) involved guessing the gender of a “really, really smart” person; Task (ii) involved guessing which adult in a pair was “really, really smart”; Task (iii) involved matching objects or attributes to unfamiliar men and women.
What did the study find about children’s perception of brilliance at age 5?
At age 5, both boys and girls associated brilliance with their own gender equally, showing no significant gender difference in brilliance perception.
How did children’s perceptions of brilliance change by age 6?
By age 6, girls were significantly less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their own gender, indicating the emergence of the “brilliance = males” stereotype.
How did children’s perceptions of school achievement relate to their beliefs about brilliance?
Girls’ perceptions of school achievement did not correlate with their perceptions of brilliance, suggesting that girls’ ideas about brilliance were not influenced by their academic performance.
How did the children’s beliefs about brilliance affect their interests in games?
Girls were less interested than boys in a game for “smart children,” but showed equal interest in a game for “hard-working children,” linking this difference to their beliefs about who is likely to be brilliant.
What was the result when 5-year-olds were asked about their interest in brilliance games?
There was no significant difference in interest between 5-year-old boys and girls, as their ideas about brilliance were not yet differentiated.
How did the study explain the difference in interest for brilliance games between boys and girls?
The study found that the difference in interest was mediated by children’s perceptions of brilliance, not by factors like modesty or academic performance.
What was the overall conclusion of the study?
The study concluded that many children assimilate the belief that brilliance is linked to males at a young age, and this stereotype shapes their interests and aspirations.
