Performance Gap In Black Students Disappeared At Times During Presidential Campaign

[harjit]

The Obama Effect: Performance Gap In Black Students Disappeared At Times During Presidential Campaign

By News Account
Created Jan 22 2009 - 1:00am

Positive racial role models may have an effect on school performance, according to new research by Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management professor Ray Friedman and co-authors who document what they call the “Obama Effect” - namely that the performance gap between black and white Americans in a series of online tests was dramatically reduced during key moments of the 2008 presidential campaign, when Obama’s accomplishments garnered the most national attention.

In the study, tests were administered to a total of 472 participants using questions drawn from Graduate Record Exams (GREs) to assess reading comprehension, analogies and sentence completion. The tests took place at four distinct points over three months during the campaign: two when Obama’s success was less prominent (prior to his acceptance of the nomination and the mid-point between the convention and election day) and two when it garnered the most attention (immediately after his nomination speech and his win of the presidency in November).

As part of the study, Friedman , David M. Marx of San Diego State University and Sei Jin Ko of Northwestern University also examined whether Obama’s success reduced negative racial stereotypes. For example, participants were asked whether they were concerned that poor performance on the exam would be attributed to their race. The results indicate that blacks were concerned that they faced negative stereotypes about academic achievement whether Obama was prominent or not, but when Obama was prominent they were able to overcome that concern and perform better on the test.

“Our results document compelling evidence of the power that real-world, in-group role models like Obama can have on members of their racial or ethnic community,” said Friedman.

The nationwide testing sample of 84 black Americans and 388 white Americans – a proportion equivalent to representation in the overall population – matched for age and education level. It revealed that white participants scored higher than their black peers at the two points in the campaign where Obama’s achievements were least visible. However, during the height of the Obama media frenzy, the performance gap between black and white Americans was effectively eliminated. In addition, researchers pinpointed that black Americans who did not watch Obama’s nomination acceptance speech continued to lag behind their white peers, while those who did view the speech successfully closed the gap.

According to Friedman, other research has shown that such historical stereotypes are an underlying reason for lagging test-taking performance by black Americans.

“Obama as a role model did not have an immediate impact on black Americans’ concerns about such stereotypes,” said Friedman. “However, our findings give us reason to believe that the influence of extraordinarily successful role models like Obama will help to drive improved performance and, over the longer-term, to dispel negative stereotypes about African Americans, bringing us closer to a ‘post-racial’ world.”

http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/obama_effect_performance_gap_black_students_disappeared_times_during_presidential_campaign

[Warka]

Right. Put a spook in the White House and they all suddenly become more intelligent.

I suppose we can expect more of this new "science" as time passes. :rolleyes:

[Errigal]

Obama's magic is sweeping the globe. Take a look a the Congolese space program:

In this one the Minister of Higher Education and Reseach tells us Africa will conquer space. The body of the rocket is made from old tins of powdered milk.
XtZozDcj9qM&eurl

In this one they attempt to launch a rat. The attempt fails spectacularly but is celebrated all the same.

sscYIVx4CgY&eurl

[Starr]

The nationwide testing sample of 84 black Americans and 388 white Americans – a proportion equivalent to representation in the overall population – matched for age and education level. It revealed that white participants scored higher than their black peers at the two points in the campaign where Obama’s achievements were least visible. However, during the height of the Obama media frenzy, the performance gap between black and white Americans was effectively eliminated. In addition, researchers pinpointed that black Americans who did not watch Obama’s nomination acceptance speech continued to lag behind their white peers, while those who did view the speech successfully closed the gap.

I suspect they sought out the blacks who paid attention over others who did not and the ones who have an interest in politics and did pay more attention also happen to be a little more intelligent than the average.

This idea that blacks do bad on tests because of whitey's stereotypes is so incredibly DUMB. For people a little more unaware of biological racial differences (and the fact that blacks universally show a lower IQ than any other peoples, in western nations, their own nations,etc) it would have sounded more realistic perhaps to blame it on the lack of respect for education and intelligence in the black community.(with Obama making it ok to be smart) How they look at this as "being white." But that argument would not induce white guilt and it would, gasp, be blaming blacks for black problems rather than the evil white man.

Since Obama is president now and will be for some time I will be waiting for all of those results showing a continued closing of this gap......

[Omniel]

Interesting but a single study isn't enough, the results have to be repeatable. Personally speaking, I don't trust this one -it reads like propaganda and the results cited in the OP article have been deliberately exaggerated. That aside, the 'Obama Effect' is already stoking dissent amongst even the notoriously uber-liberal educational psychology community:

Five months into Barack Obama's presidency, two researchers are at odds over whether a so-called "Obama effect" can bump up black students' standardized test scores and help to close the achievement gap between blacks and whites.

In the days after Obama's election in November, school officials across the country reported a noticeable improvement in students' performance -- particularly in black communities -- and attributed it to Obama's success.

But two studies have produced conflicting reports on the existence of such an effect -- calling into question whether inspiration alone is enough to bring quantifiable change.

In a study conducted during the 2008 election, Dr. Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt University found that black students achieved higher scores on standardized tests when they were reminded of Obama's achievements before the test. Their higher scores narrowed the gap between black and higher-scoring white students, suggesting a tangible effect of Obama's presidency.

Friedman said the students who earned higher scores likely overcame "stereotype threat" -- a fear that one's performance will confirm an existing negative stereotype of a group with which one identifies, resulting in psychological discomfort.

Friedman has claimed that blacks are far more likely to score below their potential when asked to identify their race on a test -- or when they are told an exam will measure innate abilities, like intelligence.

But when role models from the same social group are present before a test is administered, "it tends to take away stereotype threat losses" -- resulting in higher scores, according to Friedman.

"When Obama broke through the barrier in such a public and important way, it helped black test takers achieve their full potential," Friedman said of the study. "The question is -- will that effect persist?"

While Friedman said America's first black president's influence as a positive role model likely helped raise scores, "no one's claiming that Obama is going to make people who have never studied geometry suddenly pass geometry."

Friedman tested 400 subjects -- in separate groups of 100 -- at four different phases of the election cycle: before the Democratic convention; after Obama's acceptance speech on Aug. 28; midway between the speech and the presidential election; and after Obama's victory in November.

In the first test, the median score for whites was 12.14 of 20, while the median score for blacks was 8.79 of 20. After Obama won the presidency, whites scored 11.9 and blacks scored 9.83.

When Obama's political success was most apparent -- after his convention speech and after his Nov. 4 victory -- Friedman found that blacks' scores rose while whites' scores dropped slightly, statistically narrowing the gap.

But Friedman's findings have been challenged by another study that found no evidence of an "Obama Effect" on black students' standardized test scores.

Dr. Joshua Aronson of New York University, who conducted a study in June 2008 after Hillary Clinton conceded and Obama secured the nomination, found "absolutely no results" to support Friedman's findings.

Aronson tested a diverse sample of 160 college-aged students from various demographics -- over half of whom were black.

Aronson said he had expected to detect a noticeable effect in test performance, but he found none -- suggesting that black students might not identify with Obama's success.

"Past research really suggests that the best role models aren't the ones who are innately gifted, stellar individuals," Aronson said.

"He's certainly breaking down barriers, but he's doing it with exceptional talent, which most people think that they don't have. He might not be the best role model in terms of having people say, 'Wow, if he can do it, so can I'" he said.

Some education experts say it's too early to know whether Obama's inspiration has had a tangible effect in classrooms across the country. And some claim that even if such an effect exists, it is impossible to measure.

Tom Ewing, director of press relations at Educational Testing Service, said that while there is anecdotal evidence to suggest improvement in school performance among black students, "it's too recent of a phenomena" to know if Obama deserves extra credit

[Count Sudoku]

I believe this story was discredited when it came out months ago. :otard:

[Omniel]

I believe this story was discredited when it came out months ago. :otard:
On what basis was the story discredited?

[Count Sudoku]

On what basis was the story discredited?

That the data it was based upon turned out to be bullshit.

[Omniel]

That the data it was based upon turned out to be bullshit.
Da data wuz bullshit?

[Count Sudoku]

It was something to the effect that the tests were super easy and everyone including whites did better.

Sorry to burst your bubble but niggers are still inferior. And even if they weren't I don't want to share a country with them.

[Omniel]

It was something to the effect that the tests were super easy and everyone including whites did better.

Sorry to burst your bubble but niggers are still inferior. And even if they weren't I don't want to share a country with them.
You obviously haven't seen the data. The reported results show that whites actually did worse during that period:

"In the first test, the median score for whites was 12.14 of 20, while the median score for blacks was 8.79 of 20. After Obama won the presidency, whites scored 11.9 and blacks scored 9.83."

As for 'my bubble' -don't get me wrong: I'm not defending this ludicrous theory nor disputing the relatively low average black IQ. You're the one claiming the theory had been discredited, so what have you got? More hot air?

[Count Sudoku]

You obviously haven't seen the data. The reported results show that whites actually did worse during that period:

"In the first test, the median score for whites was 12.14 of 20, while the median score for blacks was 8.79 of 20. After Obama won the presidency, whites scored 11.9 and blacks scored 9.83."

As for 'my bubble' -don't get me wrong: I'm not defending this ludicrous theory, nor low black IQ in general. You're the one claiming the theory had been discredited, so what have you got? More hot air?

I'm sorry I don't have a photographic memory and remember everything I've read precisely and where I found the information.

Even looking at the results you posted I'm not sure the change is even statistically significant.

[Omniel]

Even looking at the results you posted I'm not sure the change is even statistically significant.
It hasn't proven anything, that's for certain. However, it doesn't appear to have been discredited as 'bullshit' either.

[Gregz]

The results indicate that blacks were concerned that they faced negative stereotypes about academic achievement whether Obama was prominent or not, but when Obama was prominent they were able to overcome that concern and perform better on the test.

So in other words the niggers problem is that they have low self esteem. :nuts:

[Count Sudoku]

So in other words the niggers problem is that they have low self esteem. :nuts:

Niggers do not have low self esteem. Niggers think they are the greatest thing in the World.

[Empress Cheesatine]

I've seen this excuse thrown around before. For people with self-esteem problems, they sure do make a lot of music talking about how great they are in their shitty little pigpen world.

[Count Sudoku]

I've seen this excuse thrown around before. For people with self-esteem problems, they sure do make a lot of music talking about how great they are in their shitty little pigpen world.

Blacks do not have self esteem issues. There was a study on Amren.com showing they had the highest self esteem, whites middle and Asians lowest. That's why so many niggers are swaggering idiots.

[Starr]

So in other words the niggers problem is that they have low self esteem. :nuts:


You are not supposed to joke about this. Negroes have low self esteem due to our racism. They do bad on tests and in so many different areas because they have internalized our racist stereotypes. We have robbed them of their dignity.

Liberals will say all of these things and they are NOT joking. Yet talk about racial separation and they go wild with outrage. Whitey; Can't live with us, can't live without us.:(