Week 4 - Stereotype Threat

stereotype threat

disruptive state that undermines performance and aspirations in that domain

• anxiety about stereotype pacts performance

• cyclical, self-fulfilling prophecy

stereotype threat girl math study (Spencer 1999)

Gave difficult math test to both men and women - similar knowledge background

2 conditions

• Gender difference - make difference aware (no mention of who it affects)

• No gender difference - no comment about gender differences

Results

• In gender difference study, women performed significantly worse than men but no significant difference in no gender difference condition

• Also noted that men perform slightly better in gender difference condition than no difference condition - Maybe not significant though

stereotype threat study (Shih et al, 1999)

asian women - two identities they can adhere to

• women identity salient - stereotype of being bad at math

• asian identity salient - stereotype of being good at math

implicit activation of social identity can facilitate or impede performance

results

• women performed better when asian identity was made salient than when woman identity made salient

sources - awareness of threat source

don’t have to believe in stereotype but have to be aware of it

• awareness without belief still leads to threat

• different sources can impact degree of strength

• but don’t necessarily have to know where it is coming from

sources - types of cues

blatant vs subtle

• severity of cue impacts amount of threat, but both blatant and subtle are harmful

• depends on sensitivity to subtle cues - sometime they are not picked up on

• but if aware of the cue, both can cause threat

mechanisms

1. extra pressure to succeed

2. threats to self-integrity and belonging

3. priming of stereotype

mechanisms - extra pressure to succeed

mere effort

• social facilitation (Zajonc 1965)

• presence of others creates arousal that strengthens dominant responses

• easy tasks get enhanced, difficult tasks get impaired

working memory depletion

• monitoring process - when negative stereotype become salient, one exerts memory self-monitoring

• depletes working memory span, impairs behaviour and performance

conscious attention on task

• automatic processes

• identity becoming salient means that negative stereotypes become salient

• cognitive resources also depleted

mechanisms - self-integrity and belonging

protecting self worth

• self-handicapping

• impede own success to protect self worth

mechanisms - stereotype priming

activated stereotype influencing subsequent behaviours

• more likely for individual to act in ways that are stereotype consistent when stereotypes are salient and activated

ideomotor paradigm

• all individuals are aware of primed stereotypes and are susceptible to the effects

• even if don’t identify with stereotype-associated group, still might affect in opposite sense

• ex: men doing better on math test when told women do worse

consequences of stereotype threat

underperform on evaluations

• moderated by individual differences

• how invested in the evaluation, how much importance it has

• coping strategies

• how much identifies with stigmatized identity

negative associations with domain

• reduced interest, withdrawal

• disidentifying with domain - eliminate threat

reduced well-being and sense of belonging

• vulnerability to health issues

• role of social support - lack of support, health impacted

overcoming stereotype threat

reconstrual interventions

• reducing perceived level of threat

coping interventions

• strategies to deal with threat

creating identity safe spaces

altering interpersonal environment to reduce threats

• increase feedback

• role models

• separating students