Beliefs about relative academic performance may shape college major choice and explain gender gaps in STEM, but little causal evidence exists. To test whether these beliefs are malleable and salient enough to change behavior, I run a randomized experiment with 5,700 undergraduates across seven introductory STEM courses. Providing relative performance information shrinks gender gaps in biased beliefs substantially. However, students’ course-taking and major choice are largely unchanged. If anything, initially overconfident men and women were discouraged by the intervention. Increasing female STEM participation may require more intensive or targeted intervention.

对相对学业成绩的信念可能会影响大学专业选择并解释 STEM 中的性别差距，但几乎不存在因果证据。为了测试这些信念是否具有可塑性和显着性，足以改变行为，我对 5,700 名本科生进行了一项随机实验，涵盖七门 STEM 入门课程。提供相对绩效信息可以大大缩小偏见信念中的性别差距。然而，学生的选课和专业选择基本没有变化。如果说有什么不同的话，那就是最初过于自信的男性和女性因干预而灰心丧气。增加女性 STEM 参与可能需要更深入或更有针对性的干预。