PSYC 3402 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Stereotype Threat, Ethnic Stereotype

• School: Northeastern University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3402
• Professor: Derek M.Isaacowitz

Document Summary

Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of african americans by claude m. Stereotype threat: stereotype threat is being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one"s group. Steel and aronson set out to test the provocative hypothesis that african american students may perform below their potential on intellectual tests because of stereotype threat. Reflecting the pressure of this vulnerability, blacks underperformed in relation to whites in the ability-diagnostic condition but not in the non-diagnostic condition. Study 3 validated that ability-diagnostic cognitively activated the racial stereotype in these participants and motivated them not to conform to it, or to be judged by it. Study 4 showed that mere salience of the stereotype could impair blacks" performance even when the test was not ability diagnostic.