Author(s): Claude M. Steele

Science

Acclaimed social psychologist Claude M. Steele offers an insider's look at his groundbreaking findings on stereotypes and identity. Through dramatic personal stories, he shares the experiments and studies that show, again and again, that exposing subjects to stereotypes-merely reminding a group of female maths students about to take a test, for example, that women are considered naturally inferior to men at maths-impairs their performance in the area affected by the stereotype. Steele's conclusions shed new light on a host of social phenomena, from the racial and gender gaps in standardised test scores to the belief in the superior athletic prowess of black men. Whistling Vivaldi offers insight into how we form our senses of identity and lays out a plan for mitigating the negative effects of "stereotype threat" and reshaping our identities.