Hutton Honors College

Pizza Discussion Supper: "Stereotypes, Identity, and Addictions"—with psychologist Claude Steele of Stanford University

This is a small-group program and requires participants to sign up in advance. Participants must be IU undergraduates and must sign up using the established procedures. For complete sign-up procedures, click here.

How much do group stereotypes affect individual academic and athletic performance? How much does stress contribute to alcoholism and addictive behaviors? The work of Claude Steele, a world-renowned psychologist and the Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences at Stanford, has revolutionized the way social scientists think about stereotypes, prejudice, addiction, self-esteem, and other phenomena of pressing social concern. He is perhaps most noted for his research on stereotype threat, which is a phenomenon that often leads people to perform poorly on a task due to a fear of and preoccupation with inadvertently affirming a negative stereotype about a group to which that person belongs. This, Professor Steele has shown, can cause capable students to under perform on examinations such as the SAT.

For his ground-breaking, influential work, Professor Steele has won prestigious awards from the American Psychological Association and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, among others. He has also received honorary doctorates from Yale and Princeton universities, and the University of Chicago. His papers have been published in numerous scholarly journals and are among the most cited articles by psychologists worldwide. His research and writing have had a significant impact on education policies and practices, as well as on law and public policy.

Professor Steele, on campus as a Patten Lecturer, will deliver two public speeches, including "The Predicaments of Our Social Identities: How They Shape Intellectual and Athletic Performance, as well as the Quality of Life in a Diverse Society," on Monday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Rawles 100 and "The Predicaments of Our Social Identities: How to Overcome Their Ill Effects" on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m., also in Rawles 100.

More Information on Claude Steele

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