Academic Quote by Malcolm Gladwell
“When the students were asked to identify their race on a pretest questionnaire, that simple act was sufficient to prime them with all the negative stereotypes associated with African Americans and academic achievement. If a white student from a prestigious private high school gets a higher SAT score than a black student from an inner-city school, is it because she’s truly a better student, or is it because to be white and to attend a prestigious high school is to be constantly primed with the idea of “smart”?”
About This Quote
Source Article: Blink, Malcolm Gladwell, 2005
Identifying race on a questionnaire can trigger stereotype threat, lowering performance for Black students.
In simple terms: Race identification can trigger negative stereotypes that hurt achievement.
Key Takeaway
Beware of subtle cues that activate stereotypes.
Themes
stereotype threat
education
inequality
Mood
concerned
reflective
Type
analytical
critical
When to use this quote
- school testing
- college admissions
- job interviews
- performance evaluations
Key Concepts
social psychology
implicit bias
achievement gap
Questions to Reflect On
- How might we design assessments to avoid priming stereotypes?
- What other subtle cues influence performance?
A Different Perspective
The effect may vary by individual resilience and context.
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