This study
examined the consequences of stereotype threat on test
performance when the test administrator was of same or a
different race. Black and White undergraduates highly
identified with their verbal ability completed a
challenging verbal test under conditions that typically
produce stereotype threat. Specifically, the test was
described as diagnostic, and students were asked to
indicate their race on the test booklet before beginning
the test. The test administrator was either Black or
White, and the administrator's competence in the verbal
domain was established through several means. Black
students performed worse when the test administrator was
White than when Black, and their performance was as good
as White students when the administrator was Black.
Whites were unaffected by the administrator's race. In
addition, Blacks reported more stereotype threat in the White
compared with the Black test administrator condition,
and reported threat partially mediated the
relation between administrator race and test
performance. These results suggest that providing ingroup role models can reduce stereotype threat and
attenuate performance decrements that typically occur in
such conditions. Back to top | Previous
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