Steele & Aronson (1995)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

to see how stereotype threat affects test performance in African American

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

Participants were African American and White university students. They were given a difficult verbal test

In the stereotype threat condition, participants were told the test measured intellectual ability.

In the non-threat condition, they were told it was simply a problem-solving task unrelated to ability.

Researchers then compared the test performances of both racial groups in the different conditions.

Question 3

Results

Answer 3

In the stereotype threat condition, African American students performed significantly worse than White students.

In the non-threat condition, African American students performed just as well as White students.

This shows that when a negative stereotype is made salient (in this case, about intellectual ability), it can negatively affect the performance of those who are targeted by the stereotype — known as stereotype threat.

Question 4

Stereotype Threat

Answer 4

when individuals fear they may confirm negative stereotypes about their social group