In the 1990s, consumers protested a popular doll that proclaimed, "Math is hard!" Was the protest justified?
A) No. Social factors such as stereotypes, encouragement or discouragement, and so on have little or no effect on girls' performance in mathematics.
B) No. The "gender gap" in mathematics performance stems from biological factors and is difficult to influence.
C) Yes. Research shows that social factors such as stereotypes, encouragement or discouragement, and so on have a substantial effect on girls' performance in mathematics.
D) Somewhat. Social factors can influence girls' performance in mathematics, but the effect is negligible and temporary.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research has shown that social factors such as stereotypes and encouragement or discouragement have a significant impact on girls' performance in mathematics. Girls who are exposed to negative stereotypes about their math abilities tend to perform worse on math tasks compared to boys or girls who are not exposed to such stereotypes. Encouragement from parents and teachers, on the other hand, has been shown to improve girls' performance in math. Therefore, the protest against the statement "Math is hard!" on a popular doll was justified, as it perpetuated the stereotype that women are not good at math.

In the 1990s, Consumers Protested a Popular Doll That Proclaimed