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[pdf] Hadden, I. R., Darnon, C., Doyle, L., Easterbrook, M. J., Goudeau, S., & Cimpian, A. (2025). Why the belief in meritocracy is so pervasive. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 29(2), 101–104.

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[pdf] Muradoglu, M., Lassetter, B., Sewell, M. N., Ontai, L., Napolitano, C. M., Dweck, C., Trzesniewski, K., & Cimpian, A. (in press). The structure and motivational significance of early beliefs about ability​. Developmental Psychology. 

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[pdf] Block, K., Gonzalez, A. M., Hall, C. E., Cimpian, A., Schmader, T., & Baron, A. S. (2025). Who cares about caring? Gender stereotypes about communal values emerge early and predict boys’ prosocial preferences​. Developmental Psychology, 61(3), 594–603. 

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[pdf] Arnold, S. H., McAuliffe, K., & Cimpian, A. (2025). Unraveling the gender gap in negotiation: How children’s perceptions of negotiation and of themselves relate to their bargaining outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 61(3), 604–622. 

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[pdf] Porter, T., Leary, M. R., & Cimpian, A. (in press). Teachers’ intellectual humility benefits adolescents’ interest and learning. Developmental Psychology. 

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[pdf] Donovan, B. M., Syed, A., Arnold, S. H., Lee, D., Weindling, M., Stuhlsatz, M. A. M., Riegle-Crumb, C., & Cimpian, A. (2024). Sex and gender essentialism in textbooks. Science, 383(6685), 822–825. 

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[pdf] Muradoglu, M., Porter, T., Trzesniewski, K., & Cimpian, A. (2024). A growth mindset scale for young children (GM-C): Development and validation among children from the United States and South Africa. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0311205. 

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[pdf] Stanaland, A., Gaither, S., Gassman-Pines, A., Galvez-Cepeda, D., & Cimpian, A. (2024). Adolescent boys’ aggressive responses to perceived threats to their gender typicality. Developmental Science, 27, e13544. 

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[pdf] MacDonald, C., Oh, D., Barger, M. M., Cimpian, A., & Pomerantz, E. M. (2024). Does inducing growth-oriented mindsets about math ability in parents enhance children’s math mindsets, affect, and achievement? Developmental Psychology, 60(12), 2396–2408.

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[pdf] Verniers, C., Aelenei, C., Breda, T., Cimpian, J. R., Girerd, L., Molina, E., Sovet, L., & Cimpian, A. (2024). The double-edged sword of role models: A systematic narrative review of the unintended effects of role model interventions on support for the status quo. Review of Research in Education, 48, 89–120.

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[pdf] Bailey, A. H., Dembroff, R., Wodak, D., Ikizer, E. G., & Cimpian, A. (2024). People’s beliefs about pronouns reflect both the language they speak and their ideologies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(5), 1388–1406.

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[pdf] Bailey, A. H., Williams, A., Poddar, A., & Cimpian, A. (in press). Intersectional male-centric and White-centric biases in collective concepts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

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[pdf] Goudeau, S., Stephens, N. M., Markus, H. R., Darnon, C., Croizet, J.-C., & Cimpian, A. (2025). What causes social class disparities in education? The role of the mismatches between academic contexts and working-class socialization contexts and how the effects of these mismatches are explained. Psychological Review, 132(2), 380–403. 

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[pdf] Renoux, M., Goudeau, S., Alexopoulos, T., Bouquet, C. A., & Cimpian, A. (2024). The inherence bias in preschoolers’ explanations for achievement differences: Replication and extension. npj Science of Learning, 9, 10.

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[pdf] Muradoglu, M., Arnold, S. H., Poddar, A., Stanaland, A., Yilmaz, D., & Cimpian, A. (2024). Why a culture of brilliance is bad for physics. Nature Reviews Physics, 6, 75–77.

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[pdf] Vial, A. C., & Cimpian, A. (2024). Gender differences in children’s reasoning about and motivation to pursue leadership roles. Sex Roles, 90, 42–65. 

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[pdf] Arnold, S. H., Bailey, A. H., Ma, W. J., Shahade, J., & Cimpian, A. (2024). Checking gender bias: Parents and mentors perceive less chess potential in girls. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(1), 1–14. 

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[pdf] Gladstone, J. R., Tallberg, M., Jaxon, J., & Cimpian, A. (2024). What makes a role model motivating for young girls? The effects of the role model’s growth versus fixed mindsets about ability and interest. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 238, 105775. 

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[pdf] Jenifer, J. B., Jaxon, J., Levine, S. C., & Cimpian, A. (2024). “You need to be super smart to do well in math!” Young children’s field-specific ability beliefs. Developmental Science, 27, e13429.

 

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[pdf] Goudeau, S., Sanrey, C., Autin, F., Stephens, N. M., Markus, H. R., Croizet, J.-C., & Cimpian, A. (2023). Unequal opportunities from the start: Socioeconomic disparities in classroom participation in preschool. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 152(11), 3135–3152.

 

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[pdf] Muradoglu, M., Arnold, S. H., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2023). “What does it take to succeed here?” The belief that success requires brilliance is an obstacle to diversity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 32(5), 379–386. 

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[pdf] Hannak, A., Joseph, K., Larremore, D. B., & Cimpian, A. (2023). Field-specific ability beliefs as an explanation for gender differences in academics’ career trajectories: Evidence from public profiles on ORCID.org. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(4), 681–698.

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[pdf] Carroll, J. M., Yeager, D. S., Buontempo, J., Hecht, C., Cimpian, A., Mhatre, P., Muller, C., & Crosnoe, R. (2023). Mindset × context: Schools, classrooms, and the unequal translation of expectations into math achievement. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 88(2), 7–109.

 

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[pdf] Porter, T., & Cimpian, A. (2023). A context’s emphasis on intellectual ability discourages expression of intellectual humility. Motivation Science, 9(2), 120–130.

 

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[pdf] Heyder, A., Steinmayr, R., & Cimpian, A. (2023). Reflecting on their mission increases preservice teachers’ growth mindsets. Learning and Instruction, 86, 101770. 

 

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[pdf] Barger, M. M., Wu, J., Xiong, Y., Oh, D. D., Cimpian, A., & Pomerantz, E. M. (2022). Parents’ responses to children’s math performance in early elementary school: Links with parents’ math beliefs and children’s math adjustment. Child Development, 93, e639–e655.

 

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[pdf] Zhao, S., Setoh, P., Storage, D., & Cimpian, A. (2022). The acquisition of the gender-brilliance stereotype: Age trajectory, relation to parents’ stereotypes, and intersections with race/ethnicity. Child Development, 93, e581–e597.

 

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[pdf] Porter, T., Catalán Molina, D., Cimpian, A., Roberts, S., Frederiks, A., Blackwell, L. S., & Trzesniewski, K. (2022). Growth mindset intervention delivered by teachers boosts achievement in early adolescence. Psychological Science, 33(7), 1086–1096.

 

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[pdf] Muradoglu, M., Horne, Z., Hammond, M. D., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2022). Women—particularly underrepresented minority women—and early-career academics feel like impostors in fields that value brilliance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(5), 1086–1100. 

 

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[pdf] Vial, A. C., Muradoglu, M., Newman, G., & Cimpian, A. (2022). An emphasis on brilliance fosters masculinity-contest cultures. Psychological Science, 33(4), 595–612.

 

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[pdf] Yeager, D. S., Carroll, J. M., Buontempo, J., Cimpian, A., Woody, S., Crosnoe, R., Muller, C., Murray, J., Mhatre, P., Kersting, N., Hulleman, C., Kudym, M., Murphy, M., Duckworth, A., Walton, G. M., & Dweck, C. S. (2022). Teacher mindsets help explain where a growth mindset intervention does and doesn’t work. Psychological Science, 33(1), 18–32.

 

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[pdf] Gladstone, J. R., & Cimpian, A. (2021). Which role models are effective for which students? A systematic review and four recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of role models in STEM​. International Journal of STEM Education, 8, 59.

 

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[pdf] Heck, I. A., Santhanagopalan, R., Cimpian, A., & Kinzler, K. D. (2021). Understanding the developmental roots of gender gaps in politics. Psychological Inquiry, 32(2), 53–71. [target article]

 

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[pdf] Heck, I. A., Santhanagopalan, R., Cimpian, A., & Kinzler, K. D. (2021). An integrative developmental framework for studying gender inequities in politics. Psychological Inquiry, 32(2), 137–152. [response to commentaries]

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[pdf] Goudeau, S., & Cimpian, A. (2021). How do young children explain differences in the classroom? Implications for achievement, motivation, and educational equity. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(3), 533–552. 

 

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[pdf] Hammond, M. D., & Cimpian, A. (2021). “Wonderful but weak”: Children’s ambivalent attitudes toward women. Sex Roles, 84, 76–90. 

 

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[pdf] Storage, D., Charlesworth, T. E. S., Banaji, M. R., & Cimpian, A. (2020). Adults and children implicitly associate brilliance with men more than women. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 90, 104020.   

 

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[pdf] Muradoglu, M., & Cimpian, A. (2020). Children’s intuitive theories of academic performance. Child Development, 91(4), e902–e918. 

 

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[pdf] Vial, A. C., & Cimpian, A. (2020). Evaluative feedback expresses and reinforces cultural stereotypes. In E. Brummelman (Ed.), Psychological Perspectives on Praise (pp. 119–128). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

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[pdf] Foster-Hanson, E., Cimpian, A., Leshin, R. A., & Rhodes, M. (2020). Asking children to “be helpers” can backfire after setbacks. Child Development, 91(1), 236–248. 

 

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[pdf] Heyder, A., Weidinger, A. F., Cimpian, A., & Steinmayr, R. (2020). Teachers’ belief that math requires innate ability predicts lower intrinsic motivation among low-achieving students. Learning and Instruction, 65, 101220. 

 

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[pdf] *Jaxon, J., *Lei, R. F., Shachnai, R., Chestnut, E. K., & Cimpian, A. (2019). The acquisition of gender stereotypes about intellectual ability: Intersections with race. Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), 1192–2015. 

 

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[pdf] Bian, L., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2018). Evidence of bias against girls and women in contexts that emphasize intellectual ability. American Psychologist, 73(9), 1139–1153. 

 

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[pdf] Boston, J. S., & Cimpian, A. (2018). How do we encourage gifted girls to pursue and succeed in science and engineering? Gifted Child Today, 41(4), 196–207. 

 

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[pdf] Chestnut, E. K., Lei, R. F., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2018). The myth that only brilliant people are good at math and its implications for diversity. Education Sciences, 8(2), 65. 

 

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[pdf] Bian, L., Leslie, S. J., Murphy, M. C., & Cimpian, A. (2018). Messages about brilliance undermine women’s interest in educational and professional opportunities. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 404–420. 

 

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., Hammond, M. D., Mazza, G., & Corry, G. (2017). Young children’s self-concepts include representations of abstract traits and the global self. Child Development, 88(6), 1786–1798. 

 

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., & Leslie, S. J. (2017). The brilliance trap: How a misplaced emphasis on genius subtly discourages women and African-Americans from certain academic fields. Scientific American, 317, 60–65.

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[pdf] Hammond, M. D., & Cimpian, A. (2017). Investigating the cognitive structure of stereotypes: Generic beliefs about groups predict social judgments better than statistical beliefs. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 146(5), 607–614. 

 

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[pdf] Bian, L., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2017). Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children's interests. Science, 355(6323), 389–391. 

 

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[pdf] Cimpian, A. (2017). Early reasoning about competence is not irrationally optimistic, nor does it stem from inadequate cognitive representations. In A. J. Elliot, C. S. Dweck, & D. S. Yeager (Eds.), Handbook of Competence and Motivation (2nd Edition): Theory and Application (pp. 387–407). New York: Guilford Press.

 

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[pdf] Bian, L., & Cimpian, A. (2017). Are stereotypes accurate? A perspective from the cognitive science of concepts. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40, e3. [commentary]​

  

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[pdf] Qu, Y., Pomerantz, E. M., Wang, M., Cheung, C., & Cimpian, A. (2016). Conceptions of adolescence: Implications for differences in engagement in school over early adolescence in the United States and China. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(7), 1512–1526.

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[pdf] Storage, D., Horne, Z., Cimpian, A., & Leslie, S. J. (2016). The frequency of “brilliant” and “genius” in teaching evaluations predicts the representation of women and African Americans across fields. PLOS ONE, 11(3), e0150194.

   

  • Notes: Top 1% most downloaded of all PLOS ONE articles published in 2016.

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., & Leslie, S. J. (2015). Response to comment on “Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines.” Science, 349(6246), 391.

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[pdf] Meyer, M., Cimpian, A., & Leslie, S. J. (2015). Women are underrepresented in fields where success is believed to require brilliance. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 235. 

 

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[pdf] *Leslie, S. J., *Cimpian, A., Meyer, M., & Freeland, E. (2015). Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines. Science, 347(6219), 262–265. 

 

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[pdf] Cimpian, A. (2013). Generic statements, causal attributions, and children’s naive theories. In M. R. Banaji & S. A. Gelman (Eds.), Navigating the Social World: What infants, children, and other species can teach us (pp. 269–274). New York: Oxford University Press.

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., Mu, Y., & Erickson, L. C. (2012). Who is good at this game? Linking an activity to a social category undermines children’s achievement. Psychological Science, 23(5), 533–541. 

 

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., & Erickson, L. C. (2012). The effect of generic statements on children’s causal attributions: Questions of mechanism. Developmental Psychology, 48(1), 159–170.

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., & Markman, E. M. (2011). The generic/nongeneric distinction influences how children interpret new information about social others. Child Development, 82(2), 471–492.

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[pdf] Cimpian, A. (2010). The impact of generic language about ability on children’s achievement motivation. Developmental Psychology, 46(5), 1333–1340.

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[pdf] Cimpian, A., Arce, H. C., Markman, E. M., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Subtle linguistic cues affect children’s motivation. Psychological Science, 18(4), 314–316. 

 

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Our research is
supported by:

Institute of Education Sciences
National Science Foundation
National Institutes of Health
Spencer Foundation
Templeton Foundation
Mattel
Student Experience Research Network

Our research
partners include:

Brooklyn Children's Museum
Wildlife Conservation Society
NYC Department of Education
DiMenna Children's History Museum

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education.

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