In the video above, you see that stereotype threat is defined as "the fear that you will confirm a negative stereotype about a group that you belong to" (Boyd, n.d.). In the video it also shows an very good example of a stereotype threat, being the only black doctor at the clinic, Grace (the doctor) is afraid any time she messes up other doctors will associate it with a negative stereotype about African American individuals. This is just one example of what a stereotype threat is.
The next point of interest to be discussed is why stereotype threats are important then. It is important to be acknowledgeable and informed on stereotype threats because research has proven that stereotype threats are directly correlated with performance levels. In the video above, in Grace's case, she would get so nervous and worried about trying to do everything to prevent a negative stereotype to be associated with her, that her actions and feelings would do just the opposite of that and perform worse. Through being nervous and performing poorly, this just confirms the stereotype to others.
Relating stereotype threats back to our previous blog post about excellence gaps and underrepresented learners has shown a strong correlation between the two topics based on research conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA). First, a review on what exactly excellence gaps are and how they affect underrepresented learners. The difference between a gifted individual and underrepresented learner is not called an excellence gap, but rather an achievement gap. Excellence gaps are "differences in scores at the advanced level only" (Hardesty, McWilliams, & Plucker, 2014).
Research from the American Psychological Association (APA) shows that individuals based on their ethnicity, race, gender, etc. - for example, African Americans (like the doctor, Grace, from the video above) or females - has shown to be correlated to performing poorly on standardized academic tests and other academic performances when associated with negative stereotypes (American Psychological Association, 2006). With stereotype threats causing self-doubt and pressure among individuals causing anxiety and affecting performance, this can only widen not only the excellence gaps, but also achievement gaps.
In the figure above, you see that women's academic performance is especially affected by stereotype threats, whereas men seem to get an opposite affect from stereotype threats, having a much higher academic performance.
In a study conducted by psychologists Claude Steele, Joshua Aronson, and Steven Spencer men and women were given a math test. One group of men and women were told that the test had shown gender differences in scores, and the other group of men and women were told that the test had shown no gender differences in scores. The group that were told the test had gender differences in scores resulted in women doing significantly worse than men (just like the study in the graph above). The group of men and women that were told that there were no gender differences in scores resulted in the women performing equally to the men. This is a prime example of how much a negative stereotype - that being that women are not good at math - shows a stereotype threat.
This phenomena is exactly why stereotype threats are important. It's been proven time and time again that one of the barriers to performance, whether that be academic, social, work-related, etc. is directly correlated to stereotype threats. This in turn affects the excellence and academic gaps in today's society. While stereotype threats are directly correlated to excellence and academic gaps, it has been said that the difference in performances is not entirely based on stereotype threats, though.
References
Stereotype Threat: Definition & Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/stereotype-threat-definition-examples.html
Stereotype Threat Widens Achievement Gap. (2006, July 15). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/research/action/stereotype.aspx
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