(PS4-66) Shyness mindset, Asian identity statuses, and experiential avoidance: Fixed mindset makes stereotypes more threatening

Abstract Text: Mindset is conceptualized as an implicit view regarding the malleability of an ability or attribute. According to Dweck, a fixed mindset is the belief that an ability or attribute is fixed and not malleable. Research has shown that fixed mindsets are associated with performance goals and more helpless in response to failure. Growth mindsets, the belief that an ability or attribute is malleable and can change, is associated with mastery goals, greater persistence, and behaviors that lead to development and improvement. Mindsets are domain-specific: people can have different mindsets in different areas of their lives be it education intelligence, prejudice, or social abilities. Shyness mindset is the extent to which someone views their shyness as malleable. Previous research has associated shyness mindset with the stability of shyness, attitudes toward treatment, and response to social conflict. A fixed shyness mindset predicts perceptions of threat and adoption of inhibitory behavior when shyness is salient. If shyness is not a fixed trait, then it cannot be a group characteristic; a fixed mindset is a prerequisite for stereotype beliefs. The current study examines the role of shyness mindset in students’ perceptions of threat among those with Asian identity status. Recognizing the stereotypes of Asians and Asian-Americans as shy, we hypothesized that shyness mindset would be associated with a greater sense of threat among Asians and Asian-Americans than among non-Asians. The present study is a cross-sectional analysis examining the impact of Asian versus non-Asian identity on the relationship between shyness mindset and experiential avoidance. A sample of 467 students (Asian and Asian-American n = 35) from a large Midwestern university were administered a measure of shyness mindset and a measure of experiential avoidance. Hayes’s PROCESS macro model 1 was used to test the hypothesis that Asian identity status moderates the relationship between shyness mindset and experiential avoidance. Shyness mindset was viewed as the independent (X) variable, experiential avoidance as the dependent (Y) variable, and Asian identity status as the moderator (W). The test of moderation was significant (p = .042). Shyness mindset was more strongly correlated with experiential avoidance among those with Asian identities Asians (R = .558) than among those with Non-Asian identities (R = .236). Differences in experiential avoidance between Asian and non-Asians was observed at and above 0.54 SDs above the mean on shyness mindset. These results provide evidence that at higher levels of shyness mindset (i.e., among those with a fixed rather than a growth perspective), Asian students have higher levels of experiential avoidance than their non-Asian peers. This finding implicates fixed mindsets as a potential target of intervention to reduce stereotype beliefs.