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If you're a student in the US right now,
如果你現在是一名美國學生，
chances are you've taken a lot of standardized tests.
有可能參加過很多標準化考試。
These tests are supposed to be fair:
這些測試應該是公平的：
your performance shouldn't depend on your race or gender or culture.
你的表現和種族、性別或文化無關。
But there are often differences between these groups' test scores, called achievement gaps.
但這些小組的考試成績通常存在差異，即成績差異。
For example, girls and boys score pretty much the same on math tests all through childhood.
例如，女孩和男孩們在整個童年時期的數學測試中的得分都差不多。
But once they get to be teenagers, boys start to do a little better.
但是一旦進入青少年時期，男孩們就會做得更好。
There are a lot of theories about where achievement gaps come from.
關于成績差異的來源有很多理論。
But there's one thing we know is going on that causes these differences in test scores, called stereotype threat.
但是，有一個理論說明了這些測試分數的差異，叫做定式思維威脅論。
That's when test scores are influenced by stereotypes people know about their identities,
定式思維威脅論指的是分數受定式思維——身份認知的影響，
even if they don't believe the stereotype is true.
即使他們認為定式思維不是真的。
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
展示這種效應最簡單的方法就是在測試前告訴人們將要進行的測試
— something that reminds them of groups they belong to or identify with. For example,
——讓他們想起自己所屬或認同的群體。例如，
multiple studies have shown that
多項研究表明，
if you tell groups of men and women that scores on a math test will show a gender difference before they take it,
如果你在考試之前告訴男生和女生，數學考試的分數會顯示出性別差異，
their scores will show the difference.
他們的分數將顯示出差別。
But if you tell them that everyone does the same, the difference often goes away.
但如果告訴他們每個人都一樣，這種差異通常就會消失。
You can even find this effect just by putting demographic questions about gender, race,
你甚至可以通過在測試開始時而不是在測試結束時提出關于性別、種族
and ethnicity at the start of a test instead of at the end.
以及少數民族的人口統計問題發現該效應的存在。
If questions are at the start, you see a gap in scores.
如果一開始就提出這種問題，你會發現分數差距。
If they're at the end, the gap shrinks, or even disappears entirely.
如果在最后提出問題，分數差距就會縮小，甚至完全消失。
Researchers have found evidence of stereotype threat with pretty much any group identity associated with stereotypes.
研究人員找到了證據證明幾乎所有與定式思維相關的群體認同都存在成見威脅，
Black students perform below white students on achievement tests if they're reminded about their race beforehand,
如果事先提出種族問題，和白人學生相比，黑人學生的成績測試結果較差，
but without the reminder, they perform the same.
但沒有提出的話，黑人和白人學生的表現一樣。
You can even demonstrate similar effects with older adults worried about memory loss.
甚至在患有失憶癥的老年人身上結果也是一樣。
One study tried to see if you could push people in the other direction, too, by testing Asian-American women.
一項研究試圖通過測試亞裔美國女性，從不同角度來驗證這一結論
They assigned the subjects to one of three groups,
他們將受試者分成三組，
then gave them a writing assignment and a math test.
然后給他們布置了寫作任務和數學測試。
One group wrote about their Asian identity, another group wrote about their identity as a woman,
一個小組寫了亞洲身份，另一個小組寫了女性身份，
and the third was the control group.
第三組是對照組。
The group that wrote about their gender had lower scores,
寫下性別的那組得分較低，
which made sense because of the stereotype that women aren't as good at math.
這是有道理的，因為人們存在這樣一種偏見：女性不擅長數學。
But the group that wrote about their Asian identity had higher scores compared to the control group,
但是，與對照組相比，寫下自己亞洲身份信息的那組得分更高，
which fit the stereotype that Asians do well in math.
這符合亞洲人擅長數學的定式思維。
It's worth noting, though, that this specific study design is... kinda finicky.
然而，值得注意的是，該研究……有一定的局限性。
Two different teams tried to replicate it:
兩個不同的團隊試圖再次試驗：
one in Berkeley, California failed, but one done in schools throughout the Southern U.S. got the same results as the original.
加州伯克利的測試失敗了，但是美國南部的學校測試的結果和最初的設想一樣。
So it might be a small or limited effect, but it also might just depend on what stereotypes are dominant in the local culture.
所以這個效應可能只是小規模或者很有限，但也可能取決于當地文化中占主導地位的定式思維。
Either way, it's clear that stereotype threat is part of why there's an achievement gap.
無論怎樣，很明顯，定式思維威脅是成績差異產生的部分原因。
But why does it happen? Some research suggests that the stress and worrying about possibly conforming to a stereotype is distracting,
但為什么會這樣呢？一些研究表明，對定式思維壓力和擔憂可能會分散注意力，
and keeps students from being as focused as they could be.
并使學生的注意力無法集中。
They often don't realize the source of the stress—after all, taking tests is stressful for everyone!
他們往往沒有意識到壓力的根源——畢竟，每個受試者很有壓力！
But even if it's unconscious, it's a stress that affects certain groups more.
但即使是無意識的，這種壓力對某些群體的影響更大。
Other research has focused on how thinking about stereotypes might lead students to think of their abilities as fixed traits,
另一項研究著重于定式思維如何能讓學生認為自己的能力固定不變，
instead of things they can work on and improve.
而不會有所改進。
Researchers tested this explanation by giving students a short class about how scores on standardized tests can change based on effort and motivation,
研究人員對這一解釋進行了測試，他們給學生上了一堂簡短的課，內容是關于標準化考試的分數是如何根據努力程度和動機而改變的，
compared a control that just learned about study methods.
選取了剛剛學會學習方法的對照組。
They found that the class worked!
他們發現這個班成功了！
Teaching people to think about their abilities as changeable instead of fixed encourages them to work harder to improve their math grades.
教導人們能力是可以改變的而不是一成不變的，鼓勵他們努力提高數學成績。
But, it improved the test scores of vulnerable groups more.
但是，弱勢群體通過這種方法成績提高更多。
Girls in the control group did worse than boys, fitting the stereotype.
對照組女孩的表現比男孩差，符合這一定式思維。
But girls in the class actually got better math grades than boys.
但是班上女生的數學成績實際上比男生好。
Obviously, stereotype threat isn't the only thing that causes group differences on standardized tests.
顯然，定式思維威脅并不是導致標準化測試中群體差異的唯一因素。
There's the fact that some groups have more limited access to education, for example.
例如，有些群體接受教育的機會更加有限。
Not to mention the whole complicated web of cultural weirdness that can discourage women from going into STEM fields.
更不用說那些復雜、不可思議的文化，這些文化會阻止女性進入科學（Science）、技術（Technology）、工程（Engineering）、數學（Mathematics）領域
But stereotype threat is a separate cause that we know is there, even in students who already really like school or math!
但是定式思維威脅是我們所知的單方面原因，即使是那些已經很喜歡學校或數學的學生也適用于這個理論！
And it won't necessarily go away just by fixing the other problems.
它不會隨著其它問題的解決而消失。
It's also an important reminder that what you believe matters.
這也提醒我們：相信很重要。
Even though these effects were found in people who said they didn't believe the stereotypes,
盡管我們從那些不相信思維定式的人身上發現這個效應，
beliefs about their abilities were what made the difference for a lot of students.
于大多數學生而言，對自己能力的信念決定了他們的命運。
Basically: believing in yourself is important. Science says so.
基本上來說：相信自己很重要，從科學理論上來說也是如此。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psychology, and especially to our patrons on Patreon for making it happen!
感謝收看本集心理科學秀，感謝Patreon為本節目提供贊助！
If you'd like to help us keep bringing you new content like this, go to patreon.com/scishow.
如果您想繼續收看新的節目，請訪問patreon.com/scishow。
