An official website of the United States government
Abstract Research on African American youth's emotional development provides an incomplete understanding of the cultural influences that shape emotion‐related skills such as emotion expression, regulation, and understanding. In this article, I propose the multiple cultural frameworks of triple quandary theory to characterize the nature of mainstream cultural experiences and minority cultural experiences in current research on emotional development in African American youth. I also discuss Afrocultural ethos as an aspect of African American cultural experiences that shapes African American emotional development, using affect and orality as examples that can be explored and embedded within emotional development research. Finally, I describe important factors for researchers to consider in the study of Afrocultural ethos in affective developmental science.
more »
« less
Stereotypes of adolescence: Cultural differences, consequences, and intervention
Abstract Adolescence is often viewed in Western cultures as a time of rebellion and irresponsibility. In this article, I synthesize recent research on stereotypes of adolescence that uses an interdisciplinary approach, integrating developmental psychology, cultural psychology, and neuroscience. I first discuss empirical evidence on cultural differences in stereotypes of adolescence, highlighting the importance of avoiding a one‐size‐fits‐all assumption about such stereotypes across cultures. Then I summarize the impact of teen stereotypes on youth's academic, behavioral, emotional, and neural development. Finally, I present an experimental intervention that can change youth's teen stereotypes and promote positive youth development. Taken together, this body of work suggests that how individuals navigate the adolescent years is driven in part by social constructions of this phase of development. The work also calls for more attention to changing negative stereotypes of adolescence at the policy and societal levels.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1944644
- PAR ID:
- 10473432
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Child Development Perspectives
- Volume:
- 17
- Issue:
- 3-4
- ISSN:
- 1750-8592
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 136-141
- Size(s):
- p. 136-141
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Parents' familism values predict a variety of Latinx American youth's academic adjustment. However, it is unclear how cultural values such as familism interact with youth's brain development, which is sensitive to sociocultural input, to shape their academic adjustment. Using a sample of 1916 Latinx American youth (mean age = 9.90 years, SD = .63 years; 50% girls) and their primary caregivers (mean age = 38.43 years, SD = 6.81 years; 90% mothers) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, this study examined the longitudinal relation between parents' familism values and youth's school disengagement, as well as the moderating role of youth's neural sensitivity to personal reward. Parents' familism values predicted youth's decreased school disengagement 1 year later, adjusting for their baseline school disengagement and demographic covariates. Notably, this association was more salient among youth who showed lower (vs. higher) neural activation in the ventral striatum and the lateral OFC during the anticipation of a personal reward. These findings underscore the protective role of familism for Latinx American youth, highlighting the necessity of developing culturally informed interventions that take into consideration a youth's brain development.more » « less
-
This meta-analysis studied the development of ability stereotypes that could limit girls’ and women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as contribute to boys’ underachievement in reading and writing. We integrated findings from 98 studies measuring children’s gender stereotypes about STEM and verbal abilities. The data comprised 145,204 children (ages 4–17) from 33 nations across more than 40 years (1977–2020). Preregistered analyses showed why prior researchers have reached diverging conclusions about the onset, change, and extent of these stereotypes in childhood and adolescence. Contrary to some prior conclusions, math stereotypes favoring male ability were minimal on average (0.11 SDs from gender neutrality). Stereotypes were instead far stronger for computer science, engineering, and physics (0.51 SDs), which favored male ability by age 6. Girls increasingly endorsed pro-male STEM stereotypes with age. Pro-female verbal ability stereotypes were also substantial (0.46 SDs), emerging by age 8 and becoming more female-biased with age. Additionally, STEM stereotypes were weaker for Black than White U.S. participants, as predicted. Unexpectedly, however, boys’ STEM stereotypes declined before age 13 but increased thereafter, revealing an asymmetric development across STEM versus verbal domains. We integrated developmental intergroup theory and social role theory to explain this asymmetry, considering both cognitive and sociocultural processes. The early emergence of verbal stereotypes and certain STEM stereotypes (e.g., engineering) means that they have ample time to affect later downstream outcomes such as domainspecific confidence and interests.more » « less
-
There is a need to help more students succeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with particular interest in reducing current gender gaps in motivation and participation. We propose a new theoretical model, the STEreotypes, Motivation, and Outcomes (STEMO) developmental model, to account for and integrate recent data emerging in social and developmental psychology. Based on this model, we synthesize research suggesting that social factors, such as stereotypes and self-representations about “belonging,” are powerful contributors to observed gender differences in STEM interest and academic outcomes. The review has four parts. First, we examine how cultural stereotypes specific to STEM contribute to gender gaps by negatively impacting interest and academic outcomes. Second, we review the central role of the self-representations affected by those stereotypes, including the particular importance of a sense of belonging. Third, we discuss various interventions that buffer against stereotypes and enhance a sense of belonging to reduce gender gaps in STEM interest and academic outcomes. Finally, we suggest theory-driven directions for future research. By organizing the research in this way, our review and theoretical analysis clarify key factors contributing to current gender gaps in STEM and mechanisms by which psychological interventions can help address STEM gender gaps.more » « less
-
Abstract Gender stereotypes are harmful for girls’ enrollment and performance in science and mathematics. So far, less is known about children’s and adolescents’ stereotypes regarding technology and engineering. In the current study, participants’ (N = 1,206, girlsn = 623; 5–17-years-old,M = 8.63,SD = 2.81) gender stereotypes for each of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) domains were assessed along with the relation between these stereotypes and a peer selection task in a STEM context. Participants reported beliefs that boys are usually more skilled than are girls in the domains of engineering and technology; however, participants did not report gender differences in ability/performance in science and mathematics. Responses to the stereotype measures in favor of one’s in-group were greater for younger participants than older participants for both boys and girls. Perceptions that boys are usually better than girls at science were related to a greater likelihood of selecting a boy for help with a science question. These findings document the importance of domain specificity, even within STEM, in attempts to measure and challenge gender stereotypes in childhood and adolescence.more » « less
