Explain one study of the effects of stereotyping on behavior.

Question 1

Stereotypes

Answer 1

Stereotypes are oversimplified and generalised social perceptions (schemas) of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes. They are widely held beliefs about the characteristics of a certain group.

Question 2

Effect of stereotypes on behavior

Answer 2

One effect of stereotyping is called Stereotype Threat. Stereotypes can have a negative effect on members of the group to which the stereotype is applied, even if the members of the group do not believe the stereotype.

Question 3

what is stereotype threat

Answer 3

Stereotype threat is a theory that says that when a person is made aware of a stereotype about his group, it can have a negative effect on their performance. Because Individuals have a fear of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group which creates stress and impairs performance in tasks related to the stereotype.

Question 4

Aim

Answer 4

One study of the effects of stereotyping on behavior is Steele and Aronson (1995), which aimed to investigate how stereotype threat affects test performance in African American students.

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

The study included 114 Black and White undergraduate students at Stanford University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions.
In one, they were told that a standardized verbal test was measuring their intellectual ability (activating stereotype threat);
in the other, they were told it was a problem-solving task (no stereotype threat).

Question 6

Results

Answer 6

Results showed that African American participants performed worse than White participants when they believed the test measured their intelligence. However, when the same test was framed as a problem-solving task, African American participants performed equally to White participants.

Question 7

Findings

Answer 7

This shows that awareness of a negative stereotype about one’s group can negatively affect performance, supporting the idea that stereotype threat can influence behavior, such as academic performance.

Question 8

Link

Answer 8

This study shows how stereotyping can affect behavior by demonstrating that the activation of a negative group stereotype can impair performance through psychological processes such as anxiety and reduced working memory. When African American participants were reminded of the stereotype about their academic ability, they experienced increased stress and self-doubt—known as spotlight anxiety—which led to lower test scores. Importantly, this effect occurred even if the individuals did not personally believe the stereotype, showing that awareness alone was enough to impact performance. The effect was strongest when participants were made aware of their group membership beforehand, highlighting how subtle cues can activate stereotypes and negatively influence behavior.