This study
examined the consequences of different kinds of social
comparisons under stereotype threat. Whereas comparisons
with superior ingroup members typically lead to lowered
state self-esteem, it was suggested that such
comparisons might elevate state self-esteem when the
superior ingroup member is viewed as challenging
stereotypes. To test this hypothesis,
female African-American students participated in a study
in which they were put under stereotype threat by being
told that "the study was to standardize a new IQ measure
of natural math ability." In addition, all students were
asked to indicate their race on a form before beginning
the math test. After completing the test, students
encountered a same-race or White confederate (i.e., a
person surreptitiously acting in collaboration with the
experimenter) who indicated to the experimenter and the
student that she had either performed very poorly or
very well. The students then completed measures of
current mood and state self-esteem. Results revealed no
effects of experimental conditions on mood but
significant effects regarding state self-esteem. In
conditions where the confederate was White, a high
reported performance by the confederate tended to
produce lower self-esteem compared with a poor reported
performance. In contrast, self-esteem moved in tandem
with the confederate's reported performance in the
same-race condition; reported high performance produced
higher self-esteem than reported poor performance. These
results suggest that self-esteem can be boosted under
conditions that produce stereotype threat by providing
role models who disconfirm negative stereotypes. Back to top | Previous
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