Steele and Aronson (1995)

Title

stereotype threat and the intellectual performance of African-Americans

Background

Steele and Aronson defined stereotype threat as being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype about one's group

Aim

to see how stereotype threat affects test performance in African Americans

Participants

114 male and female black and white undergraduates from Stanford university

Procedure

there were two independent variables in the study: the race of the participant and the test descriptions. the participants were given a 30-minute standardized test of verbal ability similar to the SAT.

in the experimental condition (stereotype threat), participants were told that the test diagnosed intellectual ability: "a genuine test of your verbal abilities and limitations"
in the control condition, participants were told that the purpose of the research had nothing to do with intellectual ability: "to better understand the psychological factors involved in solving verbal problems"

participants were randomly assigned to one of the conditions; however, they made sure that there were equal numbers of participants in each condition.

the assumption was that linking the test to ability would activate the existing racial stereotypes, so black participants face the threat of fulfilling the stereotype

Results

there was no significant difference between male and female participants. African-Americans did poorly when they believed that the test was a test of their ability, but did just as well as the white Americans when they believed that it was a test of problem-solving skills.

in other words, African-American participants performed worse than their white counterparts in the stereotype threat condition while their performance equaled that of their white counterparts in the control condition

Conclusion

when a person is aware of a negative stereotype or expectation, the amount anxiety may increase and performance will hence decrease. these effects can, however, be decreased by awareness of that stereotype.

Method

laboratory experiment
IV: race of the participant and the test descriptions
DV: performance on test

Critical thinking: methodological considerations

strengths:
- cause and effect relationship
- increased control and accuracy
- objectivity
- standardization
- internal validity
limitations:
- total control = impossible
- artificial (lacks mundane realism)
- biased results


independent measures design:
- more people are needed than with the repeated measures design (i.e. more time consuming).
- avoids order effects (such as practice or fatigue) as people participate in one condition only.
- if a person is involved in several conditions, they may become bored, tired and fed up by the time they come to the second condition or becoming wise to the requirements of the experiment
- differences between participants in the groups may affect results --> after the participants have been recruited, they should be randomly assigned to their groups. This should ensure the groups are similar, on average (reducing participant variables).

Critical thinking: alternative explanations

the participants may have been more or less susceptible to the effect of stereotype threat based on consolidation and prominence of those stereotypes in their previous learning environments, potentially diminishing their self-esteem

Critical thinking: gender bias

the study does not exhibit gender bias as both men and women participated in the study, widening the generalizability and the scope of applications
(general consequences of gender bias include scientifically misleading results,
the upholding of stereotypical assumptions, and validation of sex discrimination)

Critical thinking: ethical considerations

the study was mostly ethical as there was informed consent (although the participants were partially deceived about the aim of the study for it to work), their identities remained confidential, they were debriefed, they could withdraw, and they were protected from harm

Critical thinking: cultural considerations

as the study was carried out in a WEIRD country (at one university) with a prominence of certain stereotypes more common in individualistic and western parts of the world, the results are not generalizable to different cultures

Critical thinking: applications

the results are applicable to the development of a more equal workplace
the ability to develop more equal learning/academic environments offering equal opportunities for male and female success

How does this study demonstrate the aspects of streotype threat effect?

this study clearly illustrates the effect of stereotypes as the incorporation of stereotype threat diminished the intellectual performance of the black participants in the experiment, suggesting that merely being aware of a stereotype (and identification to the group with which the stereotype applies) can decrease academic achievement as the affected individuals experience an increased level of anxiety as they do not wish to be viewed through the lens of diminishing stereotypes and low expectations