Socio-Cult: Stereotypes

Question 1

INTRO

Answer 1

Social identity theory proposes that stereotypes, preconceived notions about a group, can distort our perception of social groups.
Stereotypes can lead to stereotype threat, the fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s group, resulting in anxiety and potentially confirming the stereotype (self-fulfilling prophecy).

Question 2

AIM & RESEARCHER

Answer 2

Steele and Aronson (1995) investigated the impact of stereotype threat on test performance in African Americans.

Question 3

PROCEDURE

Answer 3

Participants: 76 Black & White male

IV:
Race (Black or White)
Test Description (verbal ability or problem-solving)

All participants took a standardized verbal ability test, likely a well-established test used to assess vocabulary, reading comprehension, or other verbal skills.

To manipulate stereotype threat, researchers randomly assigned participants to one of two conditions:

Condition 1: The test is described as a diagnostic measure of verbal ability. This wording likely emphasized the test’s connection to inherent intelligence, potentially creating a stereotype threat for Black participants who may have been aware of negative stereotypes about Black intellectual ability.

Condition 2: Test described as a measure of problem-solving skills. This wording likely presented the test as a neutral task unrelated to inherent intelligence.

Question 4

RESULTS

Answer 4

The African Americans did poorly when they believed that the test was a test of their ability but did just as well as Americans when it was a test of their problem-solving skills. In other words, the African Americans performed less well than their white counterparts in the stereotype threat condition, but in the non-threat condition, their performance equated to their white counterparts.

Question 5

CONCLUSION

Answer 5

The study showed that stereotypes can affect the performance of people, especially when a stereotype threat is present. A large portion of white people, in general, perceive African Americans to have an inferior stereotype, this was the stereotype threat to African Americans. The African Americans in the study experienced an increased level of anxiety as they did not want to be viewed as inferior, but they ended up confirming the stereotype due to the pressure. This is an example of the self-fulfilling prophecy, which can be seen when the African Americans were told that the test was about intelligence.