Claude Steele : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Dr. Claude Steele, Professor of Psychology and the Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences, Emeritus, discusses his experiences growing up mixed race in the South Side of Chicago in the 1940s and 1950s, his research and teaching career social psychology, and his academic leadership positions at Stanford, Columbia, and UC Berkeley. He speaks about his early education in racially segregated schools and describes his parents’ civil rights activism and the values they imparted to him. He describes his undergraduate experiences at Hiram College, his graduate education in social psychology at the Ohio State University, and his early research on alcohol addiction and alcohol myopia. Dr. Steele explains how his research focus changed to studying race, gender, and the underperformance phenomenon, and describes the work that led to the concept of “stereotype threat” and the book Whistling Vivaldi. He also speaks about his work on self-affirmation theory and reflects on the need for institutions to prioritize building trust as well as diversity.
Description
| Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 2 video files; 2 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | July 20, 2020 - 2020-07-22 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Steele, Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Steele, Claude | |
| Interviewer | Brest, Iris | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Steele, Claude |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Psychology |
| Subject | Stereotype threat |
| Subject | Self-affirmation theory |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Claude M. Steele is an American social psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. He is best known for his work on stereotype threat and its application to minority student academic performance. His earlier work dealt with research on the self (e.g., self-image, self- affirmation) as well as the role of self-regulation in addictive behaviors. In 2010, he released his book, Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us, summarizing years of research on stereotype threat and the underperformance of minority students in higher education. He holds B.A. in Psychology from Hiram College, an M.A. in Social Psychology from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Statistical Psychology from Ohio State University. He is elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Board, the National Academy of Education, and the American Philosophical Society. He currently serves as a trustee of the Russell Sage Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and as a Fellow for both the American Institutes for Research and the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He has served in several major academic leadership positions as the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Berkeley, the I. James Quillen Dean for the School of Education at Stanford University, and as the 21st Provost of Columbia University. Past roles also include serving as the President of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, as the President of the Western Psychological Association, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Psychological Society. Professor Steele holds Honorary Doctorates from Yale University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, DePaul University and Claremont Graduate University. |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 1 | [00:00:00 – 00:31:57] Growing up in Chicago in the 1940s and 1950s; parents’ civil rights activism and interracial marriage • Family history • Early education at both black and white segregated schools • Attending Hiram College; how working in the stockyards turned him into a serious student • Love of psychology • Decision to pursue graduate study in context of Vietnam War • Admiration for Kenneth Bancroft Clark • Graduate school at the Ohio State University as department ramps up social psychology faculty • Career plan as a PhD student • Scaling research and dissertation Supererogatory Indirect Attitude Change • Early career [00:31:57 – 00:58:51] Studying alcohol and drug addiction; concept of alcohol myopia • Evolution of his teaching style over time • Move to University of Michigan; shifting research to race and the underperformance phenomenon • Concept of stereotype threat • Leaving the University of Michigan for Stanford • Origins of the book title Whistling Vivaldi |
| Summary Part 2 | [00:00:00 – 00:31:11] How Steele’s research on prejudice shifts focus to those experiencing it and challenges ideas about internalization of stereotypes • Understanding underperformance; story behind the term “stereotype threat” • Reception of his work from psychologists and people of color • Skepticism of his work from standardized testing providers • Impact of Michigan’s strength in social psychology on his work • Joining Stanford faculty in 1991 • Stanford Department of Psychology • Courses he taught at Stanford [00:31:11 – 01:15:45] Racial and gender composition of Psychology Department when he arrived • Impact of Stanford’s department in diversifying the psychology professoriate nationwide; Jennifer Eberhardt and Lee Ross • Mentor’s Dilemma research on race, trust, and feedback; implications for institutions • Becoming an administrator; director at CASBS • Leaving Stanford to become provost of Columbia University; wife’s illness • Returning to Stanford as dean of the School of Education • Leaving Stanford to become the provost and executive vice chancellor at University of California, Berkeley • Differences between provost’s role at Columbia and Berkeley • Controversies at Berkeley; decision to step down as wife’s health declines • Invitation to return to Stanford to teach • Recent writing projects; how build trust as well as diversity • Reflections on his work amidst the racial justice protests of 2020 |
| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/xq984mn0509 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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