Theme 6 Part 2
The Influence of stereotype threat on immigrants; review and meta-analysis
Immigrant, Achievement, and Stereotype Threat
Stereotype threat is conceived as a state of psychological discomfort that is thought to
arise when individuals are confronted with a negative stereotype about their own
group in a situation in which the negative stereotype could be confirmed.
According to an integrative model of stereotype threat, this state is characterized by
the interplay of a physiological stress response, increased monitoring of the
performance situation, and the regulation of negative thoughts and emotions. These
processes consume working memory capacity, which is unavailable for the task at
hand. The reduced working memory in turn leads to under performance in cognitively
challenging tasks.
Achievement gap between immigration backgrounds and non-immigration
background.
The (Special?) Case of Immigrants
Due to the heterogeneity in stereotype valance and content, it is difficult to draw a
coherent picture of the influence of stereotype threat on immigrants in general.
o However it is seems safe to say that Latin Americans in the US and Spain, and
immigrants from Turkey, The Maghreb region, and the Balkan in Northern
Western Europe are likely to be characterized as underachieving at school
This is seen in standardized test.
A further challenge for research is that immigration status is a more complex and
fuzzy category than other more visible and stable stereotype-relevant characteristics,
such as gender or skin color.
Furthermore, and in an attempt to acknowledge the complex nature of defining
immigrants, research has described the psychological consequences of migrating from
one culture to the other, or being born as a member of an immigrant group along the
lines of two identity dimensions.
, o One dimension is the attachment to one’s ethnic background of provenance,
which includes the exploration of cultural practices of the culture of origin and
the commitment to this cultural group.
o The second dimension is the attachment to one’s culture of residence. Both
dimensions are considered to be conceptually independent
Subject to the identity strength on both dimensions, four different acculturation
profiles have been described:
o Assimilation: low ethnic origin identity, high residence culture identity
o Separation: high ethnic origin identity, low residence culture identity
o Marginalization: low ethnic origin identity, low residence culture identity
o Integration: high ethnic origin identity, high residence culture identity
o Bicultural identity integration: alternative conceptualization, in which different
ways to deal with the two potential group identities are distinguished: both
identities may be perceived as compatible and overlapping for others both
identities can be perceived as non-overlapping and a potential source of
conflict.
Ethnic Identity is likely to play an important role when it comes to stereotype threat.
Stereotype threat has been conceived as a result of a cognitive imbalance between the
concept of self, the concept of a group, and the concept of an ability domain.
Rationale and Overview
Immigrants are frequently claimed to be one of the target groups of stereotype threat,
but a systematic overview of available studies is missing.
Discussion
Our meta-analysis of 19 independent effect sizes show that the average stereotype
threat treatment effect is substantial and significant. these results hold stereotype
threat effects among US samples of Latino background as well as among immigrant
samples in Europe with various ethnic backgrounds.
The findings showed that all treatments (subtle, moderately explicit, blatant) were
effectively altering immigrants’ performance.
o Subtle: no statement about subgroup differences, instead, the context of tests,
test takers subgroup membership, or test taking experience is manipulated,
e.g., test is “diagnostic” versus “not diagnostic”)
The Influence of stereotype threat on immigrants; review and meta-analysis
Immigrant, Achievement, and Stereotype Threat
Stereotype threat is conceived as a state of psychological discomfort that is thought to
arise when individuals are confronted with a negative stereotype about their own
group in a situation in which the negative stereotype could be confirmed.
According to an integrative model of stereotype threat, this state is characterized by
the interplay of a physiological stress response, increased monitoring of the
performance situation, and the regulation of negative thoughts and emotions. These
processes consume working memory capacity, which is unavailable for the task at
hand. The reduced working memory in turn leads to under performance in cognitively
challenging tasks.
Achievement gap between immigration backgrounds and non-immigration
background.
The (Special?) Case of Immigrants
Due to the heterogeneity in stereotype valance and content, it is difficult to draw a
coherent picture of the influence of stereotype threat on immigrants in general.
o However it is seems safe to say that Latin Americans in the US and Spain, and
immigrants from Turkey, The Maghreb region, and the Balkan in Northern
Western Europe are likely to be characterized as underachieving at school
This is seen in standardized test.
A further challenge for research is that immigration status is a more complex and
fuzzy category than other more visible and stable stereotype-relevant characteristics,
such as gender or skin color.
Furthermore, and in an attempt to acknowledge the complex nature of defining
immigrants, research has described the psychological consequences of migrating from
one culture to the other, or being born as a member of an immigrant group along the
lines of two identity dimensions.
, o One dimension is the attachment to one’s ethnic background of provenance,
which includes the exploration of cultural practices of the culture of origin and
the commitment to this cultural group.
o The second dimension is the attachment to one’s culture of residence. Both
dimensions are considered to be conceptually independent
Subject to the identity strength on both dimensions, four different acculturation
profiles have been described:
o Assimilation: low ethnic origin identity, high residence culture identity
o Separation: high ethnic origin identity, low residence culture identity
o Marginalization: low ethnic origin identity, low residence culture identity
o Integration: high ethnic origin identity, high residence culture identity
o Bicultural identity integration: alternative conceptualization, in which different
ways to deal with the two potential group identities are distinguished: both
identities may be perceived as compatible and overlapping for others both
identities can be perceived as non-overlapping and a potential source of
conflict.
Ethnic Identity is likely to play an important role when it comes to stereotype threat.
Stereotype threat has been conceived as a result of a cognitive imbalance between the
concept of self, the concept of a group, and the concept of an ability domain.
Rationale and Overview
Immigrants are frequently claimed to be one of the target groups of stereotype threat,
but a systematic overview of available studies is missing.
Discussion
Our meta-analysis of 19 independent effect sizes show that the average stereotype
threat treatment effect is substantial and significant. these results hold stereotype
threat effects among US samples of Latino background as well as among immigrant
samples in Europe with various ethnic backgrounds.
The findings showed that all treatments (subtle, moderately explicit, blatant) were
effectively altering immigrants’ performance.
o Subtle: no statement about subgroup differences, instead, the context of tests,
test takers subgroup membership, or test taking experience is manipulated,
e.g., test is “diagnostic” versus “not diagnostic”)
