In this 250th episode of the flagship PsychSessions series, Garth interviews Claude Steele from Stanford University in Stanford, CA. Claude recaps "Whistling Vivaldi" as the story of how stereotype threat emerged in his research and describes "churn" as the psychological vigilance and uncertainty people feel in important, diverse settings where they may be judged through stereotypes. He explains how stereotype threat can impair performance when stakes are high and discusses experiments showing that Black students trusted critical feedback most when it conveyed high standards and confidence in their ability to meet them. He critiques some diversity trainings for heightening identity threat and argues for building trust and "beloved community," emphasizing that those with more power should offer trust first. He also shares brief autobiographical reflections on early college experiences and influential teachers.
[Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]
