Stereotype Threat
Title
Stereotype Threat
Author
Schmader, Toni
Hall, William M.
Research Area
Social Interactions
Topic
Stereotypes
Abstract
Research has documented that subtle reminders of negative stereotypes can reduce performance for those who are targeted by them. This phenomenon has been labeled stereotype threat and was originally proposed as a novel explanation for racial and gender gaps in certain types of intellectual performance. Two decades of research on stereotype threat has expanded to explain performance differences for a number of different groups across a variety of domains. The most recent research on stereotype threat has both mapped out the sequence of cognitive and affective mechanisms that underlie the phenomena and tested the effectiveness of various interventions that allow people to perform up to their potential. Future work is needed to examine possible cultural variation in stereotype threat, study the dynamic processes of how the phenomenon unfolds over time, and move to inform public policies in workplaces and schools.