Project 3. Social psychological phenomena
1. Stereotype treat and its consequences for learning
Appel & Kronberger (2012) – Stereotypes and the achievement gap: Stereotype Threat prior to test
taking
Stereotype threat = an unfortunate/difficult situation that prevents members of negatively
stereotyped groups to perform up to their full ability
- Linked to disidentification from the stereotyped domain
- Stereotypes = ‘shared beliefs about person attributes, usually person traits but often also
behaviours of a group of people’
- Stereotyped groups:
o African Americans and Hispanic Americans in the USA are perceived as less
intelligent
o Turkish immigrants in Germany are seen as rather ‘primitive’ and ‘incompetent’
o Women are perceived as less talented in mathematics and technical sciences
o White Americans have lower natural athletic ability than other groups (p. 8)
Achievement gaps one of the causes are stereotype threats (for negatively stereotyped
groups)
- Some ethnic minorities (e.g., African Americans in the USA) and students with an
immigrant background from specific regions (e.g., individuals with a Turkish background
in central Europe) underachieve in educational settings
- Women are often underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM)
Stereotype threat and performance: processes and boundary conditions
- Process model of stereotype threat:
o Situations that trigger stereotype threat involve the activation of three basic
concepts: the concept of self; the concept of group; and the concept of an ability
domain
o Stereotype threat is likely when (mechanisms:)
(a) An individual’s self-concept is linked to the concept of a group (individuals
identify with a group)
(b) An individual’s self-concept is linked to the concept of an ability domain
(individuals identify with a domain)
(c) (but) the domain is negatively linked to the in-group (individuals are aware of
a negative stereotype)
o For example: ‘I am a woman’, ‘math is important to me’, ‘women are considered
bad at math’
o Results in cognitive imbalance imbalance increases with an individual’s
identification with a group, which varies between individuals and may be
triggered in a specific situation
o Physiological, cognitive, and affective processes are mechanisms that bring out
the negative influence of stereotype threat
o The physiological stress response, the monitoring of the self and situation as well
as the suppression of negative thought and feelings consume cognitive resources
that are unavailable for whatever cognitive activity a person under stereotype
threat undertakes
Evidence on stereotype threat prior to test taking
, - Stereotype threat, disidentification, and career choice
o A female student in an advanced physics class may be negatively affected by the
stereotype = induced extra pressure during a physics exam, but also at times of
instruction, for example in regular class, or at home doing homework
o In addition to test taking and learning, stereotype threat can play a role
regarding the interest in and the identification with specific domains or
academics in general
o Short term and future interest in a task (computer programming) reduced when
a relevant stereotype is activated (gendered math stereotype), at least for
students with a strong achievement motivation
o Weakening the connection between oneself and the stereotyped domain can
reduce the aversive state of stereotype threat
o A situational, short-term disengagement of one’s self-concept from performance
feedback can enable stereotyped individuals to perform at a high level and to
persist in working on a task
o The repeated activation of a negative stereotype is predicted to result in a
chronic disidentification from a domain or school in general consequence:
individuals tend to avoid activities in the stereotyped field
o For students who are faced with a negative intelligence stereotype, such as
African Americans in the USA, stereotype threat-induced disidentification can be
responsible for dropping out of school
- Stereotype threat and learning: evidence from intervention research
o Brief interventions can elicit on the academic achievement of students who are
faced with a group stereotype
SEE KEY FINDINGS P.8 T/M P.16
Synthesis: the influence of stereotype threat on ability and performance
- Research on stereotype threat has been fuelled by the question why minority students
and women in certain fields do not perform up to their full potential
- THREE STAGES OF STEREOTYPE THREAT (p. 18)
1) Individuals who belong to a negatively stereotyped or otherwise devalued group are
at risk of experiencing a cognitive imbalance between their self-concept, their group
membership and an ability domain
o Not all individuals who belong to a stereotyped group experience stereotype
threat in a way that leads to disidentification with a field schooling, peer, and
family contexts that do not activate the idea that one’s group is connected to
underperformance may protect from stereotype threat
o Even if a situation is perceived as threatening, certain threat appraisals may
render the threat manageable than the negative consequences of threat
reduced
2) Stereotype threat may impair learning and knowledge acquisition
o Individuals who identify with a domain are particularly prone to stereotype
threat effects at this stage
o Stereotype threat found to interfere with encoding material, summarizing and
evaluation information, the comprehension of rules, and with the use of efficient
strategies
o Stereotype threat during learning may ultimately impair students’ grade point
averages (GPAs) and may therefore explain what has been called the
1. Stereotype treat and its consequences for learning
Appel & Kronberger (2012) – Stereotypes and the achievement gap: Stereotype Threat prior to test
taking
Stereotype threat = an unfortunate/difficult situation that prevents members of negatively
stereotyped groups to perform up to their full ability
- Linked to disidentification from the stereotyped domain
- Stereotypes = ‘shared beliefs about person attributes, usually person traits but often also
behaviours of a group of people’
- Stereotyped groups:
o African Americans and Hispanic Americans in the USA are perceived as less
intelligent
o Turkish immigrants in Germany are seen as rather ‘primitive’ and ‘incompetent’
o Women are perceived as less talented in mathematics and technical sciences
o White Americans have lower natural athletic ability than other groups (p. 8)
Achievement gaps one of the causes are stereotype threats (for negatively stereotyped
groups)
- Some ethnic minorities (e.g., African Americans in the USA) and students with an
immigrant background from specific regions (e.g., individuals with a Turkish background
in central Europe) underachieve in educational settings
- Women are often underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM)
Stereotype threat and performance: processes and boundary conditions
- Process model of stereotype threat:
o Situations that trigger stereotype threat involve the activation of three basic
concepts: the concept of self; the concept of group; and the concept of an ability
domain
o Stereotype threat is likely when (mechanisms:)
(a) An individual’s self-concept is linked to the concept of a group (individuals
identify with a group)
(b) An individual’s self-concept is linked to the concept of an ability domain
(individuals identify with a domain)
(c) (but) the domain is negatively linked to the in-group (individuals are aware of
a negative stereotype)
o For example: ‘I am a woman’, ‘math is important to me’, ‘women are considered
bad at math’
o Results in cognitive imbalance imbalance increases with an individual’s
identification with a group, which varies between individuals and may be
triggered in a specific situation
o Physiological, cognitive, and affective processes are mechanisms that bring out
the negative influence of stereotype threat
o The physiological stress response, the monitoring of the self and situation as well
as the suppression of negative thought and feelings consume cognitive resources
that are unavailable for whatever cognitive activity a person under stereotype
threat undertakes
Evidence on stereotype threat prior to test taking
, - Stereotype threat, disidentification, and career choice
o A female student in an advanced physics class may be negatively affected by the
stereotype = induced extra pressure during a physics exam, but also at times of
instruction, for example in regular class, or at home doing homework
o In addition to test taking and learning, stereotype threat can play a role
regarding the interest in and the identification with specific domains or
academics in general
o Short term and future interest in a task (computer programming) reduced when
a relevant stereotype is activated (gendered math stereotype), at least for
students with a strong achievement motivation
o Weakening the connection between oneself and the stereotyped domain can
reduce the aversive state of stereotype threat
o A situational, short-term disengagement of one’s self-concept from performance
feedback can enable stereotyped individuals to perform at a high level and to
persist in working on a task
o The repeated activation of a negative stereotype is predicted to result in a
chronic disidentification from a domain or school in general consequence:
individuals tend to avoid activities in the stereotyped field
o For students who are faced with a negative intelligence stereotype, such as
African Americans in the USA, stereotype threat-induced disidentification can be
responsible for dropping out of school
- Stereotype threat and learning: evidence from intervention research
o Brief interventions can elicit on the academic achievement of students who are
faced with a group stereotype
SEE KEY FINDINGS P.8 T/M P.16
Synthesis: the influence of stereotype threat on ability and performance
- Research on stereotype threat has been fuelled by the question why minority students
and women in certain fields do not perform up to their full potential
- THREE STAGES OF STEREOTYPE THREAT (p. 18)
1) Individuals who belong to a negatively stereotyped or otherwise devalued group are
at risk of experiencing a cognitive imbalance between their self-concept, their group
membership and an ability domain
o Not all individuals who belong to a stereotyped group experience stereotype
threat in a way that leads to disidentification with a field schooling, peer, and
family contexts that do not activate the idea that one’s group is connected to
underperformance may protect from stereotype threat
o Even if a situation is perceived as threatening, certain threat appraisals may
render the threat manageable than the negative consequences of threat
reduced
2) Stereotype threat may impair learning and knowledge acquisition
o Individuals who identify with a domain are particularly prone to stereotype
threat effects at this stage
o Stereotype threat found to interfere with encoding material, summarizing and
evaluation information, the comprehension of rules, and with the use of efficient
strategies
o Stereotype threat during learning may ultimately impair students’ grade point
averages (GPAs) and may therefore explain what has been called the
