Gender Stereotypes, Anxiety, and Math Outcomes in Adults and Children

Compared to the large amount of studies on stereotype threat with adults, relatively few studies have sought to demonstrate whether, when, and possibly how children are susceptible to stereotype-induced variations in their cognitive achievements. The role of negative emotional activation under stereotype threat has been further clarified with neuroimaging techniques. In the framework of the stereotype threat model, anxiety is typically conceived as a situational response to threatening cues activated by either the nature of the task, or the relevance of one’s social identity within the testing context. Beyond being suggestive of a mismatch between subjective self-reports of anxiety and physiological measures, the mixed results regarding anxiety as a potential mediator of performance outcomes may also be indicative of the complexity of the relations that link stereotype threat susceptibility to performance outcomes. The role of anxiety has been surprisingly overlooked in research on stereotype threat with young children.