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The two experiments reported in this paper demonstrate
that stereotype threat is a general phenomenon that can
be experienced by members of any group depending on
context. In Experiment 1, White males with high
math SAT scores took a difficult math test. In one
condition, students were given information suggesting
that Asians typically outperform other students in math. Moreover, the students in this condition were told that
the study was designed to identify the nature and scope
of differences in performance between Asians and other
groups in mathematics. In a second control
condition there was no mention of Asians, only
information suggesting that the task was designed to
assess mathematical ability. Participants in the
first condition performed significantly worse than
students in the control condition. Experiment 2
replicated this finding but also showed moderation by
identification with mathematics; only those
students who were highly identified with mathematics
performed more poorly under stereotype threat. These studies show that stereotype threat can undermine
performance of any individual who has a strong identity
in a domain when context highlights stereotypes
suggestive of relatively poor performance in that
domain.
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