Chapter 12 page 276
- Provide lots of
convincing evidence.
(Convincing evidence
is both credible and
unambiguous.)
The workshop leaders and the
workshop participants work together to
define highly objective performance
standards (and encourage the use of
these standards for promotion
decisions, as well).
The workshop leaders have a multi-
ethnic team participate in the design of
the study or studies, and in the design
of the measures. They make sure that
all the workers agree to the procedures
before carrying out the study. They
have American representatives and
immigrant representatives involved in
carrying out the research. They devise
a performance system that is public, so
that everyone can see how everyone is
doing.
The workshop leaders don’t choose any
research design that would yield
ambiguous data. They make sure that
participants agree in advance what will
count as “no difference”; e.g.,
participants might say that there is no
practical difference if the averages are
within 5% of each other.
In addition, studies of other companies
with a similar problem are presented.
Workshop leaders also present data
that shows how it is that mistaken
stereotypes arise. Some of these
studies are presented and described.
Others are demonstration experiments
that can be done right in the workshop
sessions.The teacher does many experiments.
She does some; students do others.
They use different methods for
dropping the ball. First they drop
rocks within the room.
Then they drop objects from higher
up (two or three stories). They use two
heavy, streamlined metals that will not
be affected by air resistance. They use
an automated release system to guard
against nonsimultaneous release.
They redo the experiment from
different heights. The students plan an
experiment that would convince them
their old idea were wrong. They work
out some kind of automatic recording
system. The teacher gets students to
agree in advance what would count as
“close enough to the same” to accept
that the time to fall really is the same.
They also roll balls down an incline
as well as dropping objects. (But to
avoid ambiguous data, the teacher
makes sure the apparatus is very low in
friction.)- Promote deep
processing.
The company hold workshops
afterwards in which participants
discuss the research and its
implications.The teacher holds frequent classroom
discussions. She has students discuss
their experiments in small groups.