Seeing Stereotypes

Abstract: Reliance on stereotypes is a persistent feature of human decision-making and has been extensively documented in educational settings, where it can shape students' confidence, performance, and long-term human capital accumulation. While effective techniques exist to mitigate these negative effects, a crucial first step is to establish whether teachers can recognize stereotypes in their professional environment. We introduce the Stereotype Identification Test (SIT), a novel survey tool that asks teachers to evaluate and comment on the presence of stereotypes in images randomly drawn from school textbooks. Their responses are systematically linked to established measures of implicit bias (Implicit Association Test, IAT) and explicit bias (survey scales on teaching stereotypes and social values). Our findings demonstrate that the SIT is a valid and reliable measure of stereotype recognition. Teachers' ability to recognize stereotypes is linked to trainable traits such as implicit bias awareness and inclusive teaching practices. Moreover, providing personalized feedback on implicit bias improves SIT scores by 0.25 standard deviations, reinforcing the idea that stereotype recognition is malleable and can be enhanced through targeted interventions.