In the United States, children typically learn about genetics during adolescence, despite early misconceptions about parental resemblance. This study explores whether U.S. 7- and 8-year-olds can co...

Despite decades of progress, gender inequalities in workplace authority and compensation persist. This review reveals recent advances in understanding how gendered careers emerge through three psychological mechanisms prevalent in organizations: (i) intrapersonal gender biases, (ii) interpersonal power dynamics, and (iii) intergroup gender relations. Because power is perceived as masculine, women in authority face systematic backlash. While status offers women an alternative leadership route, it proves less valuable than power – lacking resource control and requiring constant social validation rather than conferring formal authority. We suggest that mindsets about human malleability moderate these dynamics: fixed mindsets amplify stereotyping and power-based challenges for women leaders, while growth mindsets attenuate barriers. Our framework aims to illuminate gender disparities and to suggest promising intervention pathways.

Seven years ago, I took a bet with Charles Murray about whether we’d basically understand the genetics of intelligence by now.

Scientific explanation is one of the most sophisticated forms of human reasoning. Nevertheless, here we hypothesize that scientific explanation is ...

The present research aimed to investigate whether adults’ gender bias against women in brilliance-requiring contexts extends to non-Western cultures, and whether this bias also applies to young girls. In Experiment 1 (N = 354), Korean adults were asked to refer an acquaintance for a job requiring either exceptional intelligence (brilliance condition) or a high level of dedication (control condition). A Bayesian mixed-effects logistic regression indicated that the odds of referring a woman were 25.16% lower in the brilliance condition than in the control condition, indicating a significant gender bias. Experiment 2 (N = 362) examined whether this gender bias extends to children. Korean adults selected elementary school-aged children for a program requiring either exceptional intelligence (brilliance condition) or a high level of dedication (control condition). The odds of selecting a girl in the brilliance condition dropped by 30.83% compared to the control condition. These results suggest that gender bias against women in intellectually demanding contexts is not limited to Western cultures and, more importantly, extends to young children, which may have cumulative consequences for gender gaps in academic and career outcomes. Together, these results underscore the need to approach how opportunities are framed and how abilities are conceptualized in educational and professional settings, to combat biases limiting opportunities for girls and women in intellectually demanding fields.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

The right questions can help us connect with strangers – and create closer bonds between parents and children.

Wil je assisteren in onderzoek naar zelfbeeld en kansenongelijkheid bij kinderen? Dan zoeken wij jou als student-assistent (lab manager) bij KiDLAB (https://kidlab.nl/).