Bettina Casad

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Missouri–St. Louis

Women may suppress behavior and emotions during sexism, impairing subsequent self-control. However, suppression likely depends on social reprisal versus benefit of confronting (i.e., social cost). Experiment 1 (N = 56) found behavioral self-control (i.e., Stroop task performance) was unaffected by sexism. Yet, sexism led to exaggerated amplitudes o...

Viewing alcohol-related cues (e.g., advertisements) is known to promote expressions of racial bias and aggression through the temporary promotion of reflexive or impulsive responding. However, this increased automaticity may be inhibited by thoughtful control of behavior. We examined the role of controlled processes in the suppression of racial bia...

There is a national interest in United States women’s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); however, gender inequality in the social sciences has not received similar attention. Although women increasingly earn postgraduate degrees in the social sciences, women faculty still experience gender inequities. C...

The present research examined how risk-taking protects against consequences of negative gender stereotypes among women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In Study 1, undergraduate women and men in STEM (N = 1013) took an online survey assessing risk-taking, academic outcomes, and vulnerability to stereotype threat. Risk-ta...

Recently there is widespread interest in women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); however, progress toward gender equality in these fields is slow. More alarmingly, these gender disparities worsen when examining women's representation within STEM departments in academia. While the number of women rece...

Exerting self-control depletes capacity for future self-control, which can promote greater alcohol use. However, certain populations may be more susceptible to these effects of depleted self-control capacity. For example, individuals with lower alcohol sensitivity (i.e., requiring more drinks to experience the effects of alcohol) are a high-risk gr...

Nearly half of college students engage in risky alcohol use, and college women may be more likely than men to drink in excess. However, little research has examined predictors of alcohol use unique to college women. College women often experience sexism; however, whether sexism contributes to greater alcohol use is not well established. The present...

The present study tested a model of threatening academic environments among a vulnerable population: women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Women in STEM are underrepresented and more likely to perceive their STEM educational environments as threatening than do men. U.S. Women majoring in STEM fields (n = 579) com...

The participation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has progressed slowly and women are widely underrepresented in higher education and top-ranking positions in many STEM fields (Ceci & Williams, 2007; Ceci, Williams, & Barnett, 2009; Eccles, 2007). As the U.S. faces shortages of trained scientists and engineers,...

Using a biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat, we tested resting heart rate variability (HRV) as a moderator of physiological reactivity after experiencing sexism. Women science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors participated in a mock interview in which the male interviewer made a sexist or neutral comment. Resting HRV...

Women and racial minorities are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This review describes six wise psychological interventions that can improve gender and race equality in STEM education by addressing psychological processes that inhibit achievement. The interventions are brief, low-cost, and effective beca...

Effects of stereotype threat on math performance have been well-documented among college women; however, the prevalence among adolescent girls is less well-known. Further, the moderating role of gender identity and effects of stereotype threat on high achieving girls in math is unknown. This study tested the effects of a stereotype threat condition...

The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) is designed to support students’ development as future scientists. Juniors, seniors, and postbaccalaureates who attended ABRCMS during 2008-2011 were emailed a link to an online questionnaire in which they reported their experiences at ABRCMS. Attendees reported many ABRCMS-pr...

Recently researchers have debated the relevance of stereotype threat to the workplace. Critics have argued that stereotype threat is not relevant in high stakes testing such as in personnel selection. We and others argue that stereotype threat is highly relevant in personnel selection, but our review focused on underexplored areas including effects...

This review documents trends in educational disparities related to students’ gender, race, social class, and college generational status. More women earn four-year degrees than men, yet they are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. The racial gap in standardized testing still remains and continues to grow. T...

Two studies examined social determinants of adolescents' math anxiety including parents' own math anxiety and children's endorsement of math-gender stereotypes. In Study 1, parent-child dyads were surveyed and the interaction between parent and child math anxiety was examined, with an eye to same- and other-gender dyads. Results indicate that paren...

Women are largely underrepresented in STEM fields and may experience sexism. Research has established that sexism affects the cardiovascular responses of women. The present results show that women in STEM with higher heart rate variability show greater cardiovascular challenge reactivity, rather than threat, in response to sexism.

Among graduates of STEM, women are less likely than men to work in the field. Research shows that sense of belonging and family influences can affect career goals. Results show that father's profession and high sense of belonging predict educational goals, low gender salience, and low science discounting.

Although women have made dramatic gains in science over the past several decades (Ceci & Williams, 2011), there are still fewer women graduates in most science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields (Hill et al., 2010). Women comprise 48% of the U.S. workforce (MRS Bulletin, 2011), but hold only 24% of STEM jobs (U.S. Department of Commer...

Self-esteem and social support often buffer the effects of negative experiences on psychological well-being. A study with undergraduate women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors (N = 183) examined the relationship between gender discrimination and academic self-efficacy as moderated by social support and self-esteem. Results...

Women in STEM fields often experience identity conflict between their stereotypically incompatible identities as a woman and scientist. Stigmatization and discrimination of an identity is related to negative academic outcomes. A study with undergraduate women science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors (N = 420) demonstrates that ident...

In the focal article the authors raise the question of whether stereotype threat is a “useful” construct for I/O psychologists. They describe potential applications of stereotype threat beyond performance in high-stakes testing situations and call for more research outside of the laboratory. We agree with the authors that I/O psychologists should i...

Marriage is a rite of passage in U.S. culture influenced by fairy-tale expectations presented in the media and perpetuated through gender role socialization. Our study tested endorsement of marriage myths and benevolent sexism as predictors of engaged heterosexual college women’s premarital relationship outcomes and psychological well-being. Women...

This study examined whether endorsing a benevolent sexist ideology predicted perceptions of a woman abuse victim who violated or conformed to gender role norms. It was hypothesized that participants who endorsed benevolent sexism would rate a gender conforming victim more positively and a gender nonconforming victim more negatively than those who d...

People are reluctant to admit they harbor implicit biases. Students (N ¼ 68) from four social psychology courses completed an assignment designed to raise awareness about implicit biases. After completing an Implicit Association Test (IAT), students answered six essay questions, read two articles on the IAT, and answered five additional essay quest...

Age at first childbirth affects mothers’ economic and psychological well-being later in life. Using a gender and power framework, two studies examined the associations among age at first childbirth, employment status, perceived choice, and race/ethnicity as predictors of economic and psychological well-being in a sample of middle class, married mot...

The Guided Discovery approach is a process in which students are encouraged to reinvent. The popular saying “don‟t reinvent the wheel” is counterproductive in the context of learning as it attempts to impart knowledge through discoveries and inventions of other people. Real learning occurs when learners are immersed in authentic situations and are...

We sought to demonstrate that individuals who anticipate interacting with a prejudiced cross-race/ethnicity partner show an exacerbated stress response, as measured through both self-report and hemodynamic and vascular responses, compared with individuals anticipating interacting with a nonprejudiced cross-race/ethnicity partner. Through a question...

As members of the Steering Committee for the 2008 National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, we realize that the future of our discipline depends on quality undergraduate programs that prepare students for advanced study in psychology. Our concern with quality education in psychology extends far beyond the future of the disciplin...

Though research has demonstrated that media coverage of men and women politicians differ, fewer studies have examined the dual influence of gender stereotypes and types of media coverage in influencing public perceptions of women politicians. Study 1 (N = 329) examined how pre-existing attitudes toward women leaders and valence of media message imp...

Predictions from the stereotype content model (SCM; Fiske et al. 2002) that suggest high-status career women are perceived as competent but cold were tested with a sample of college students in California (N = 294; 51% female; M age = 21.49). Participants completed measures of sexism and attitude extremity, read a positive or negative article about...

Where do effective teaching and learning come from? Possible sources include trial and error, word of mouth, the research literature, and even dumb luck. Our predecessors who took on the improvement of teaching and learning at the St. Mary's conference in 1991 (Mathie et al., 1993) advocated the use of active learning, which promised to be sufficie...

The Present StudyMethod ResultsDiscussionReferences

Despite the prevalence of dual-earner families (White & Rogers, 2000), societal views continue to reflect expectations characteristic of the traditional family type of the breadwinning father and stay-at-home mother (Ganong & Coleman, 1995). Society’s expectation for women to focus primarily on family rather than career has been coined the “motherh...

Three domains relevant to working and stay-at-home mothers are discussed: people’s perceptions and stereotypes, real-life experiences, and sequencing models women choose when navigating the paths of career and family. The section on perceptions and stereotypes of working and stay-at-home mothers summarizes how mothers and fathers are viewed accordi...

A secondary analysis of data from 1,039 Latino adolescents who participated in a study of a sex education program was conducted to examine the impact of comfortable communication about sex on intended and actual sexual behavior. Results indicate that Latino adolescents have a broad communicative network, including friends, dating partners, and exte...

The primary goal of this study was to describe the development and assessment of the Community Awareness Motivation Partnership (CAMP) Teen Theatre intervention. Based on the behavioural ecological model, CAMP addressed the role of contraceptive use in safe sex behaviour through a brief informative, entertaining, and culturally responsive dramatiza...

For a satisfying and successful academic career, faculty members need to fin their best "fit" with the institutional missions and expectations, and with student abilities and needs. This chapter describes the four primary types of higher education institutions, with background on their history and institutional missions, student profiles, and facul...