Joshua Aronson

About

Joshua Aronson is an Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt. He directs the Mindful Education Lab, a group of psychologists and neuroscientists dedicated to using research to improve environments and psychological functioning, particularly for individuals confronted with stress. Aronson is internationally recognized for his pioneering research on stereotype threat and Growth Mindset, with his work featured in popular books such as Blink, Nurtureshock, Mindset, Drive, and Whistling Vivaldi, among others. His research has been referenced in four Supreme Court cases and is widely cited across law, education, psychology, and human development fields. His contributions include editing works like Improving Academic Achievement and Readings about the Social Animal, as well as co-authoring The Social Animal. Aronson's current work focuses on helping schools create environments that promote excellence in cognitive, socio-emotional, and moral development through social psychological interventions, including mindfulness and meditation in classrooms, and developing a '4-dimensional curriculum' to enhance learning, curiosity, critical thinking, self-control, and purpose. He serves as an executive advisor to the Casa Laxmi Foundation, which aims to develop leadership and academic success among impoverished children.

Research topics

• Developmental psychology
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Mathematics education
• Linguistics
• Cognitive psychology
• Communication

Selected publications

• Intelligence: New findings and theoretical developments.

  American Psychologist · 2012-01-03 · 948 citations

  review

  We review new findings and new theoretical developments in the field of intelligence. New findings include the following: (a) Heritability of IQ varies significantly by social class. (b) Almost no genetic polymorphisms have been discovered that are consistently associated with variation in IQ in the normal range. (c) Much has been learned about the biological underpinnings of intelligence. (d) "Crystallized" and "fluid" IQ are quite different aspects of intelligence at both the behavioral and bi…

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• Rising to the threat: Reducing stereotype threat by reframing the threat as a challenge

  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · 2009-10-03 · 215 citations

  article
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• Minding and mending the gap: Social psychological interventions to reduce educational disparities

  British Journal of Educational Psychology · 2015-02-16 · 150 citations

  reviewSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Achievement gaps continue to garner a great deal of attention both in academic and in popular circles. Many students continue to struggle despite broad educational reforms aimed at narrowing these gaps in learning and performance. AIMS: In this article, we review a number of social psychological interventions that show promise in reducing gaps in achievement, not by addressing structural barriers to achievement, but by helping students cope with threats to their identity that impair…

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• Stereotype threat impairs ability building: Effects on test preparation among women in science and technology

  European Journal of Social Psychology · 2011-07-28 · 131 citations

  articleSenior author

  Stereotype threat is an uncomfortable psychological state that has been shown to impair cognitive ability test scores. It is an open question whether and in what ways it affects processes involved in learning and knowledge acquisition. This research examined whether stereotypes also interfere with test preparation among women in the domain of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Study 1 (N = 1058) revealed that people are aware of a stereotype portraying women as less profic…

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• Gender stereotype endorsement and achievement-related outcomes: The role of competence beliefs and task values

  Contemporary Educational Psychology · 2013-04-10 · 126 citations

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Recent grants

• Understanding and Overcoming Social Psychological Barriers to Academic Development in African American Students

  NSF · $278k · 2006–2009

Frequent coauthors

• Catherine Good

  17 shared

• Michael Inzlicht

  9 shared

• Diana J. Burgess

  University of Minnesota

  7 shared

• Matthew S. McGlone

  6 shared

• Claude M. Steele

  Stanford University

  6 shared

• Lindsay Juarez

  5 shared

• Sean M. Phelan

  Mayo Clinic in Florida

  5 shared

• Diane F. Halpern

  Claremont McKenna College

  4 shared

Similar researchers at New York University

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• Edward Seidmanh-44
• Diane Hughesh-37