Research Type: Early-Stage or Exploratory Research
Reducing the Racial Achievement Gap in STEM: A Social-Neurobiological Investigation and
Values Affirmation (
https://arc.uchicago.edu/reese/projects/reducing-racial-achievement-gap-
self-affirmation-intervention-approach)
Geo
ffrey Cohen, PI
Purpose: The purpose of the study funded by NSF is to examine possible physiological mechanisms
for identity threat and self-affirmation interventions, and whether an online format is feasible for
the same effects.
Justification: There continues to be an achievement gap between African American and white
students. Furthermore, prior study has shown that African American students perform less well
when their identity as African Americans is emphasized, compared to when they complete the test
without any such signals. Prior research and theory on stereotype threat, identity threat, and self-
affirmation have examined the ways that being reminded of membership in a stereotypic group can
reduce academic performance, and that there are self-affirmative approaches that can reduce or
eliminate this effect. What is not known is the exact mechanism by which these interventions affect
performance.
Research Plan: The research questions are: What are the mechanisms by which identity threat has
a long-term cumulative impact? How can these inform intervention? The project proposes a
mechanism through which identity threat activates a physiological response to threat, which will be
detected via three stress-related compounds: cortisol, alpha-amylase, and pro-inflammatory
cytokines (in this case, TNF-alpha). In a first study, participants (100 undergraduates) will be
assigned at random to control or experimental conditions, and will be tested in the stress responses
and in academic performance. In a second study (also 100 participants), the experimental
conditions for will be implemented via online format for undergraduates in a large-format biology
course.
Findings: Values affirmation is effective at improving achievement of minority middle school
students, with effects that persist for 2 years. Effect was also generalized beyond suburban African
Americans to immigrant, economically disadvantaged Latino Americans.
Publications:
Cohen, G. L., Garcia, J., Purdie-Vaugns, V., Apfel, N., & Brzustoski, P. (2009). Recursive processes in
self-affirmation: Intervening to close the minority achievement gap. Science, 324, 400-403.
Cohen, G. L., & Garcia, J. (2008). Identity, belonging, and achievement: A model, interventions,
implications. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 365-369.
Purdie-Vaughns, V., Cohen, G. L., Garcia, J., Sumner, R., Cook, J. C., & Apfel, N. H. (2009). Improving
minority academic performance: How a values-affirmation intervention works. Teachers
College Record, September 23.
Miyake, A., Kost-Smith, L., Finkelstein, N. D., Pollock, S. J., Cohen, G. L., & Ito, T. A. (2010). Reducing
the gender achievement gap in college science: A classroom study of values affirmation.
Science 330(6008): 1234-1237.
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