Collaborative Research: Recognition of Gender Stereotyping as a Determinant of Stereotype Assimilation and Contrast Effects Resulting from Subtle Bias Exposure in STEM

女性在STEM领域的代表性历来不足，研究证据表明，微妙的性别偏见发生在许多STEM环境中，特别是那些女性继续代表性不足的地方。社会心理学研究表明，偏见或意识到自己是陈规定型观念和歧视的对象会产生负面影响。这个项目将提供一个新的贡献和扩展的感知偏见的研究提出，简单地目睹微妙的性别偏见的情况下，可以有不同的影响，观察员取决于他们是否认识到事件的性别陈规定型观念的实例。当证人观察到陈规定型的互动，但不认为他们作为性别陈规定型的实例，互动作为一个微妙的刻板印象线索，促进陈规定型支持的结果。当偏见的目击者确实认识到性别陈规定型观念的实例的陈规定型互动，互动作为一个公然的刻板印象线索促进陈规定型挑战的结果。研究人员将进行一系列研究，旨在通过实验测试微妙与公然的刻板印象激活的影响（通过目睹计算机科学和工程背景下对男性和女性的偏见来提示），重点关注表现，动机，同行评价和群体动态。调查结果将为正在进行和未来的干预工作提供信息，旨在提高对STEM环境中性别偏见的认识并减轻其负面影响。拟议的项目是密歇根大学安阿伯和密歇根理工大学之间的共同努力，并得到EHR核心研究（ECR）计划的支持，该计划支持推进STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究，扩大STEM的参与，和STEM劳动力发展。这项研究工作将推进发现和理解的机制，通过这种机制，微妙的性别的存在，偏见通过专门探索显性和隐性偏见线索的过程差异来影响STEM中男性和女性的气候。这项工作将深入了解这些线索对女性表现和动机的影响，以及男性和女性在团体和团队中的行为。这项工作的优势之一是使用实验方法（即随机对照试验（RCT））来研究目睹细微偏倚的影响。使用随机对照试验提供了一个严格的测试之间的因果关系暴露于微妙的偏见和其声称的后果。此外，这一研究项目还将扩大关于经历过的歧视的影响的研究和理论，审查这些影响对包括男子在内的偏见证人的影响，并产生重要的下游后果。通过探索这些关系，研究将更好地了解微妙的性别偏见的意识和归因如何改变环境中每个人的结果。这一理解可能会为正在进行的和未来的干预工作提供信息，旨在提高人们对STEM环境中性别偏见的认识并减轻其负面后果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Women have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields, and research evidence suggests that subtle gender bias occurs in many STEM settings, especially those where women continue to be underrepresented. Social psychological research has demonstrated the negative effects of perceived bias or becoming aware that one is the target of stereotyping and discrimination. This project will provide a novel contribution to and extension of the perceived bias research by proposing that simply witnessing instances of subtle gender bias can have differential effects on observers depending on whether they recognize the event as an instance of gender stereotyping. When witnesses observe stereotypic interactions but do not perceive them as instances of gender stereotyping, the interactions serve as a subtle stereotype cue that promotes stereotype-supporting outcomes. When witnesses to bias do recognize the stereotypic interactions as instances of gender stereotyping, the interactions serve as a blatant stereotype cue promoting stereotype-defying outcomes. The researchers will undertake a series of studies designed to experimentally test the effects of subtle vs. blatant stereotype activation (cued by witnessing bias on men and women in computer science and engineering contexts) focusing on performance, motivation, evaluation of peers, and group dynamics. The findings will inform ongoing and future intervention efforts aimed at raising awareness of and mitigating negative effects of gender bias in the STEM environment. The proposed project is a joint effort between the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and Michigan Technological University and is supported by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports work that advances fundamental research on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.This research effort will advance the discovery and understanding of mechanisms by which the presence of subtle gender bias influences the climate for men and women in STEM by specifically exploring process differences for blatant and implicit bias cues. The work will provide insight into the influences of these cues on performance and motivation among women, as well as the behaviors of men and women in groups and on teams. One strength of this work is the use of experimental methodology (i.e. randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to study the effects of witnessing subtle bias. Using RCTs provides a rigorous test of a causal relationship between exposure to subtle bias and its purported consequences. Moreover, this research project will also expand research and theory on the effects of experienced discrimination, by examining these effects on witnesses of bias, including men, with important downstream consequences. By exploring these relationships, the research will afford better understanding of how the awareness and attribution of subtle gender bias may modify outcomes for everyone in the setting. This understanding may inform ongoing and future intervention efforts aimed at raising awareness of and mitigating negative outcomes of gender bias in the STEM environment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.