Psychologist to Deliver Carleton Convocation on “Stereotype Threat” and the Ways Schools can Battle the Achievement Gap

Psychologist Joshua Aronson will present Carleton College’s weekly convocation on Friday, April 29 at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel.  An associate professor of applied psychology at New York University’s Steinhardt School, Aronson focuses his efforts on understanding and bridging the race and gender gaps in educational achievement.  Aronson’s talk will focus on the phenomena he has termed “stereotype threat” and possibilities for overcoming it.  This event is free and open to the public.

22 April 2011 Posted In:
Josh Aronson
Josh AronsonPhoto:

Psychologist Joshua Aronson will present Carleton College’s weekly convocation on Friday, April 29 at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel.  An associate professor of applied psychology at New York University’s Steinhardt School, Aronson focuses his efforts on understanding and bridging the race and gender gaps in educational achievement.  Aronson’s talk will focus on the phenomena he has termed “stereotype threat” and possibilities for overcoming it.  This event is free and open to the public.

Aronson has been interested in the achievement gap since attending grade school during segregation.  “I had friends who were black and Latino who were tremendously smart, but once they got into the class they were not so smart. I remember being puzzled by that and wondering why it happened,” he recalls. Years later in 1995, after receiving his PhD from Princeton University, Aronson along with professor Claude Steele published their landmark report on “stereotype threat.”  Their studies demonstrated how well-known cultural stereotypes (“blacks are unintelligent,” “girls can’t do math,” etc.) actively depress the standardized test performance of black, Latino, and female students.  These studies also showed how small changes in testing situations can dramatically improve those scores. 

Research on “stereotype threat” offers a far more optimistic view of race and gender gaps than the older theories that focused on poverty, culture, or genetic factors.  It has already provided insight on how to boost both the achievement and enjoyment of students by unseating the power of stereotypes and prejudice.  Aronson’s research has been cited extensively in two Supreme Court cases, and is frequently referred to by psychologists, educators, and social scientists concerned with educational equality. 

Professor Aronson holds an MA and PhD from Princeton University in social psychology and received his BA in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.  He has received a litany of professional awards, including a Career Award from the National Science Foundation, a Faculty Scholar Award from the William T. Grant Foundation, and Research Mentor Award from the University of Texas.  He has also published many scholarly articles and book chapters, as well as two books: Improving Academic Achievement: Impact of Psychological Factors in Education (CA: Academic Press, 2002) and The Scientist and the Humanist: A Festschrift in Honor of Elliot Aronson (NY: Psychology Press, 2010, with M.H. Gonzales, C. Travis and J. Aronson).

The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located off First and College Streets in Northfield. For more information regarding this convocation, please contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308.