Stereotype threat is a situational predicament in which people are, or feel themselves to be, at risk of conforming to a negative stereotype about their own social group, and it is theorized to contribute to long-standing racial and gender gaps in academic performance. The threat grows with the difficulty of a task, the belief that the task measures real ability, and how strongly a person identifies with the stereotyped group, and it is thought to work by making a person anxious about confirming the stereotype, which depletes the working memory needed to perform well, without the person needing to believe the stereotype at all. The opposite effect, stereotype boost, is improved performance from exposure to a positive stereotype about one own group, and a related variant, stereotype lift, is improved performance from exposure to a negative stereotype about a different group. Some researchers have questioned whether the effect holds in real-life performance gaps and raised the possibility of publication bias, but meta-analyses and systematic reviews have found significant evidence for it overall.
Facts
Core ClaimA situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to stereotypes about their social group. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Type of PhenomenonSocial or Interpersonal Phenomenon 1 Connections
Associated With
Originated the concept, with Joshua Aronson, in their 1995 studies of stereotype-based academic performance effects.
In Branch
Source Wikipedia: Stereotype Threat
Sources
1. Stereotype threat, Wikipedia
Introduction
Stereotype threat is a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to stereotypes about their social group.
Original study
In 1995, Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson performed the first experiments demonstrating that stereotype threat can undermine intellectual performance.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
Since its introduction into the academic literature, stereotype threat has become one of the most widely studied topics in the field of social psychology.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification, additional value cognitive
Situational factors that increase stereotype threat can include the difficulty of the task, the belief that the task measures their abilities, and the relevance of the stereotype to the task.
View the SourceWikipedia: Stereotype Threat
Wikimedia FoundationIn Branch: Social Psychology, LeadQuote, In Branch: Social Psychology, Lead
Since its introduction into the academic literature, stereotype threat has become one of the most widely studied topics in the field of social psychology.
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