If you need additional evidence that expectations of self and
others shape how well people perform on tasks, just read Claude
Steele’s new book, “Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How
Stereotypes Affect Us.” In an interview by NPR “Talk of the
Nation” host Neal Conan, Steele answers questions about how his
20 years of research reported in the book shows that when a math
task is important to women, their performance is affected by the
stereotype that all women are poor at math. He says: …if you're
a woman, and you don't care about doing well with math, your
life is on another path, then the prospect of confirming such a
stereotype about your group's ability… isn't as upsetting to you
because you're not invested in that area, but when you've really
invested yourself, then the prospect of that stereotype being
true or its being seen to be true and you being treated
accordingly, that has considerable impact. It scares you, and
that fear can directly interfere with your functioning. Steele
calls this phenomeno