Discussion Questions

Before you complete these discussion questions, read chapters 1-3. The questions are asked in

chronological order, so they may also work as a guide for your reading. Write full sentence

responses and when appropriate use page numbers or quotes from the text.

Discussion Questions for Whistling Vivaldi Chapters 1-3

 

Chapter 1

 

1. What are some of the identity contingencies that Steele mentions in this chapter, and what

are some that you have faced in your life?

 

 

2. What does Steele mean when he says contingencies put constraining behavior in the air?

Give an example to support your explanation.

 

 

3. After reading the initial golf experiment with two different groups and contingencies

highlighted, what are your predictions, questions, or concerns about the rest of Steele’s

research?

 

Vocabulary check-in (just note the part of speech and quick synonym or definition in your

own words. Good to note/circle in your text.) These are also in order of appearance in the

text.  You won’t be quizzed on these, but I’d like you to exercise some vocabulary muscles

and use five in your essay (week 3).

segregations

imposed

de facto

tenacious

intersubjectivity

innocuous

gauntlet (not the medieval definition) 

Sisyphean

autonomous

plague

 

Chapter 2.

 

4. Steele describes the difference between the observer and the actor perspectives. Why

were these two perspectives essential for Steele and others to gain understanding about

underperformance on college campuses?

 

 

5. Steele discusses how important campus culture is to a student’s sense of identity and

sense of belonging. What do you feel is the campus culture here at Foothill? Do you feel

like you belong? Explain what causes you to feel this way? How many friends do you

have on campus? Do you have friends that are very different from you in culture, age, or

race?

 

6. How did Ms. Jane Elliott’s 1968 experiment influence Steele’s research question?

 

7. In this chapter Steele describes the process of moving from a hunch to an inference to

evidence. Describe the importance and difference of these three terms as they relate to

Steele’s work.

 

8. How did Steele and his colleague rule out genetic differences for women’s

underperformance in math?

 

9. What were the results of Steele’s study with women in math? Were you surprised by

these results? How does it shift your view of stereotypes and academic ability?

 

Vocabulary check-in (part of speech and quick synonym or definition in your own words.

Good to note in your text.)

 

downwardly constitute

incisive

foci

stigma

gingerly

nascent

empirical test

 

Chapter 3

 

10. How does the 1978 Seattle Sonics’ performance help explain Steele’s theory of

underachievement?

 

 

11. What were the three major findings of the experiment at Stanford using the verbal test on

white and black students?

 

 

12. What did the fragment test and the preference rating before the research achievement test

prove to Steele and his colleagues?

 

 

13. What does Steele mean when he says the black students were taking the test “under the

weight of history”? What proof does he give to support this claim?

 

14. How did Steele and his colleagues find out that caring about achievement impacted your

vulnerability to a stereotype threat?

 

15. Steele writes “Analogy is often the best route to emphatic insight.” What does he mean

by this statement? How might it change your view of others and their performance?

Vocabulary check-in (part of speech and quick synonym or definition in your own words.

Good to note in your text and/or write the page number here.

specter

eschewing

circumscribed