Stone et al. (2002)

Who and when

Stone et al. (2002)

Aim

To investigate if how a sport is framed would impede the performance of members of different racial groups.

Procedure

1. Participants were told they would be tested on a golf-related task.

2. The task was either described as reflecting "factors correlated with natural athletic ability" (high stereotype threat) or "factors correlated with general sports performance" (low stereotype threat).

3. The participants were allowed to practice for as long as they liked before performing the task

Findings

1. White participants practiced significantly less in the high-threat condition than in the low-threat condition

2. The control group of African Americans did not show a difference in the two conditions

3. African American participants performed worse if they were told the task would be tested on sports intelligence

Conclusion

Stereotype threat can lead to reduced effort