Word: expectancies
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...theory that has gained influence among sociologists is that some members of stigmatized groups, when faced with stressful situations, expect themselves to do worse - a prophecy that fulfills itself. These expectations, which can occur even in otherwise fair (or fair-seeming) situations - such as, say, a standardized test - produce stress and threaten cognitive function. The effect is called "stereotype threat," and African-Americans, girls, even jocks have all been shown susceptible to stereotype threat. (See pictures of the world's most celebrated senior citizens...
...prone to anxiety - in short, great test-takers - performed worse after being reminded of their age. The power of stereotype is so strong that it can overwhelm many of our other traits, which means that what you learned in kindergarten is true: you're only as good as you expect...
Traditionally, were you to ask somebody what "the best job in the world" is, you might expect to hear 'astronaut', 'movie star' or 'bed tester' thrown back at you. But for 34-year-old Englishman Ben Southall - and 35,000 other hopefuls - it was the six-month gig being offered by Tourism Queensland to be the caretaker of an Australian tropical island. And for the not exactly demanding 12 hours he's expected to work each month in Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef (key duties: snorkelling, feeding fish, blogging), he'll be put up in a three-bedroom...
...Inya Lake may be the only way to find out, but security has already been tightened around her home. After the American's arrest, a troop of police barged into the opposition activist's home and more road blocks were placed near her compound. The Lady shouldn't expect any more surprise guests...
...Tata officials say they expect demand to be strong, even though India's once-booming real estate market has been deflated by a slowing economy and the global credit crunch. India has a shortage of 24.7 million dwellings in its major cities, according to a recent joint study by McKinsey and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce. Housing shortfalls are exacerbated by migrant workers streaming into many cities who are forced to live in slums made up of shanties lacking basic amenities like sanitation and running water. Roughly 70% of India's 1.2 billion people live on less than...