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If you're a student in the US right now,
如果你现在是一名美国学生，
chances are you've taken a lot of standardized tests.
有可能参加过很多标准化考试。
These tests are supposed to be fair:
这些测试应该是公平的：
your performance shouldn't depend on your race or gender or culture.
你的表现和种族、性别或文化无关。
But there are often differences between these groups' test scores, called achievement gaps.
但这些小组的考试成绩通常存在差异，即成绩差异。
For example, girls and boys score pretty much the same on math tests all through childhood.
例如，女孩和男孩们在整个童年时期的数学测试中的得分都差不多。
But once they get to be teenagers, boys start to do a little better.
但是一旦进入青少年时期，男孩们就会做得更好。
There are a lot of theories about where achievement gaps come from.
关于成绩差异的来源有很多理论。
But there's one thing we know is going on that causes these differences in test scores, called stereotype threat.
但是，有一个理论说明了这些测试分数的差异，叫做定式思维威胁论。
That's when test scores are influenced by stereotypes people know about their identities,
定式思维威胁论指的是分数受定式思维——身份认知的影响，
even if they don't believe the stereotype is true.
即使他们认为定式思维不是真的。
The easiest way to show this effect is to tell people something about the test they're about to take just before they take it
展示这种效应最简单的方法就是在测试前告诉人们将要进行的测试
— something that reminds them of groups they belong to or identify with. For example,
——让他们想起自己所属或认同的群体。例如，
multiple studies have shown that
多项研究表明，
if you tell groups of men and women that scores on a math test will show a gender difference before they take it,
如果你在考试之前告诉男生和女生，数学考试的分数会显示出性别差异，
their scores will show the difference.
他们的分数将显示出差别。
But if you tell them that everyone does the same, the difference often goes away.
但如果告诉他们每个人都一样，这种差异通常就会消失。
You can even find this effect just by putting demographic questions about gender, race,
你甚至可以通过在测试开始时而不是在测试结束时提出关于性别、种族
and ethnicity at the start of a test instead of at the end.
以及少数民族的人口统计问题发现该效应的存在。
If questions are at the start, you see a gap in scores.
如果一开始就提出这种问题，你会发现分数差距。
If they're at the end, the gap shrinks, or even disappears entirely.
如果在最后提出问题，分数差距就会缩小，甚至完全消失。
Researchers have found evidence of stereotype threat with pretty much any group identity associated with stereotypes.
研究人员找到了证据证明几乎所有与定式思维相关的群体认同都存在成见威胁，
Black students perform below white students on achievement tests if they're reminded about their race beforehand,
如果事先提出种族问题，和白人学生相比，黑人学生的成绩测试结果较差，
but without the reminder, they perform the same.
但没有提出的话，黑人和白人学生的表现一样。
You can even demonstrate similar effects with older adults worried about memory loss.
甚至在患有失忆症的老年人身上结果也是一样。
One study tried to see if you could push people in the other direction, too, by testing Asian-American women.
一项研究试图通过测试亚裔美国女性，从不同角度来验证这一结论
They assigned the subjects to one of three groups,
他们将受试者分成三组，
then gave them a writing assignment and a math test.
然后给他们布置了写作任务和数学测试。
One group wrote about their Asian identity, another group wrote about their identity as a woman,
一个小组写了亚洲身份，另一个小组写了女性身份，
and the third was the control group.
第三组是对照组。
The group that wrote about their gender had lower scores,
写下性别的那组得分较低，
which made sense because of the stereotype that women aren't as good at math.
这是有道理的，因为人们存在这样一种偏见：女性不擅长数学。
But the group that wrote about their Asian identity had higher scores compared to the control group,
但是，与对照组相比，写下自己亚洲身份信息的那组得分更高，
which fit the stereotype that Asians do well in math.
这符合亚洲人擅长数学的定式思维。
It's worth noting, though, that this specific study design is... kinda finicky.
然而，值得注意的是，该研究……有一定的局限性。
Two different teams tried to replicate it:
两个不同的团队试图再次试验：
one in Berkeley, California failed, but one done in schools throughout the Southern U.S. got the same results as the original.
加州伯克利的测试失败了，但是美国南部的学校测试的结果和最初的设想一样。
So it might be a small or limited effect, but it also might just depend on what stereotypes are dominant in the local culture.
所以这个效应可能只是小规模或者很有限，但也可能取决于当地文化中占主导地位的定式思维。
Either way, it's clear that stereotype threat is part of why there's an achievement gap.
无论怎样，很明显，定式思维威胁是成绩差异产生的部分原因。
But why does it happen? Some research suggests that the stress and worrying about possibly conforming to a stereotype is distracting,
但为什么会这样呢？一些研究表明，对定式思维压力和担忧可能会分散注意力，
and keeps students from being as focused as they could be.
并使学生的注意力无法集中。
They often don't realize the source of the stress—after all, taking tests is stressful for everyone!
他们往往没有意识到压力的根源——毕竟，每个受试者很有压力！
But even if it's unconscious, it's a stress that affects certain groups more.
但即使是无意识的，这种压力对某些群体的影响更大。
Other research has focused on how thinking about stereotypes might lead students to think of their abilities as fixed traits,
另一项研究着重于定式思维如何能让学生认为自己的能力固定不变，
instead of things they can work on and improve.
而不会有所改进。
Researchers tested this explanation by giving students a short class about how scores on standardized tests can change based on effort and motivation,
研究人员对这一解释进行了测试，他们给学生上了一堂简短的课，内容是关于标准化考试的分数是如何根据努力程度和动机而改变的，
compared a control that just learned about study methods.
选取了刚刚学会学习方法的对照组。
They found that the class worked!
他们发现这个班成功了！
Teaching people to think about their abilities as changeable instead of fixed encourages them to work harder to improve their math grades.
教导人们能力是可以改变的而不是一成不变的，鼓励他们努力提高数学成绩。
But, it improved the test scores of vulnerable groups more.
但是，弱势群体通过这种方法成绩提高更多。
Girls in the control group did worse than boys, fitting the stereotype.
对照组女孩的表现比男孩差，符合这一定式思维。
But girls in the class actually got better math grades than boys.
但是班上女生的数学成绩实际上比男生好。
Obviously, stereotype threat isn't the only thing that causes group differences on standardized tests.
显然，定式思维威胁并不是导致标准化测试中群体差异的唯一因素。
There's the fact that some groups have more limited access to education, for example.
例如，有些群体接受教育的机会更加有限。
Not to mention the whole complicated web of cultural weirdness that can discourage women from going into STEM fields.
更不用说那些复杂、不可思议的文化，这些文化会阻止女性进入科学（Science）、技术（Technology）、工程（Engineering）、数学（Mathematics）领域
But stereotype threat is a separate cause that we know is there, even in students who already really like school or math!
但是定式思维威胁是我们所知的单方面原因，即使是那些已经很喜欢学校或数学的学生也适用于这个理论！
And it won't necessarily go away just by fixing the other problems.
它不会随着其它问题的解决而消失。
It's also an important reminder that what you believe matters.
这也提醒我们：相信很重要。
Even though these effects were found in people who said they didn't believe the stereotypes,
尽管我们从那些不相信思维定式的人身上发现这个效应，
beliefs about their abilities were what made the difference for a lot of students.
于大多数学生而言，对自己能力的信念决定了他们的命运。
Basically: believing in yourself is important. Science says so.
基本上来说：相信自己很重要，从科学理论上来说也是如此。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psychology, and especially to our patrons on Patreon for making it happen!
感谢收看本集心理科学秀，感谢Patreon为本节目提供赞助！
If you'd like to help us keep bringing you new content like this, go to patreon.com/scishow.
如果您想继续收看新的节目，请访问patreon.com/scishow。
