Elsevier

Current Opinion in Psychology

Volume 11, October 2016, Pages 40-43
Current Opinion in Psychology

Beyond test performance: a broader view of stereotype threat

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.05.002Get rights and content

Highlights

  • •

    Stereotype threat arises when a negative stereotype about one's group seems to apply.

  • •

    We review research on threat outcomes beyond the traditional focus on test scores.

  • •

    Threat antecedents include environmental cues and consequences include well-being.

  • •

    Interventions should go beyond test scores, for example, targeting intergroup interaction.

Stereotype threat is the ‘social psychological threat that arises when one is in a situation or doing something for which a negative stereotype about one's group applies’ [1]. Although much of the research on stereotype threat has focused on how stereotype threat affects test performance, its original conception described a broader and more general phenomenon. In this article we review stereotype threat research, taking a broader view on threat beyond the realm of test performance, focusing on its antecedents (e.g., environmental stereotype cues) and consequences (e.g., effects on interracial interaction). Interventions have also focused primarily on improving or preserving test performance, indicating the need for interventions that address the broader consequences of threat.

Section snippets

When and why stereotype threat undermines test performance

Stereotype threat is induced by being in a situation in which negative stereotypes about one's group are activated or ‘in the air’ [1]. This situational threat can lead to diminished test performance for targets of the stereotype. This effect is well documented, particularly on written academic tests. In more than three hundred demonstrations, stereotype threat has been shown to reduce test performance among negatively stereotyped groups such as racial/ethnic minority students and women in

Antecedents of stereotype threat: a broader view

In many laboratory experiments, researchers have used a variety of manipulations to induce or reduce stereotype threat, typically by changing the relevance of the stereotype to the performance task. For example, to induce threat, the test may be described as diagnostic of an ability in which one's group is stereotyped as lacking [e.g., [2]]. To reduce threat, the test may be described as being diagnostic of a stereotype-irrelevant ability [e.g., problem solving [2]], or as being non-diagnostic

Consequences of stereotype threat: a broader view

Research on the cues hypothesis not only demonstrated the effects of stereotype threat cues on performance, but also on other important outcomes. For example, stereotype threat cues can diminish sense of belonging in and identification with an academic field [19, 25], and lower performance expectancies on an upcoming test [18, 24]. These outcomes may not only undermine performance [17, 18], but also interest and persistence in stereotype relevant domains [16, 24, 25].

Effects of stereotype

Implications for interventions

Given the negative consequences that often accompany stereotype threat, there have been many attempts to create interventions to prevent or reduce stereotype threat (see www.reducingstereotypethreat.org for a comprehensive list). Many of these existing intervention strategies have been aimed at preserving or increasing test performance among members of stereotyped groups, consistent with the focus on test outcomes. These interventions tend to fall into one of five general categories. Task

Conclusions

Research on stereotype threat has revealed the important influence of stereotype threat on critically objective outcomes such as test scores, as well as more subjective outcomes ranging from motivation and persistence to the quality of intergroup interaction. Triggers of stereotype threat are also prevalent and wide-ranging, when one takes a broader view of threat. While much of the focus has been on effects of stereotype threat on test performance, the broader body of work on threat suggests

Conflict of interest

Nothing declared.

References and recommended reading

Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:

  • • of special interest

  • •• of outstanding interest

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