stereotype threat

Meaning: Stereotype threat is the pressure a person feels when a negative stereotype about their social group, such as gender, race, or age, applies to the task in front of them. Worry about confirming it adds anxiety and uses up attention and working memory, so performance can drop. Steele and Aronson described it. The cause is the situation, not lower ability.

On the MCAT: A passage gives two groups the same test. In one condition the test is framed as a measure of ability, or participants first note their group identity; the control condition lacks this. Predict that the stereotyped group scores lower under threat and that the gap shrinks in the control condition. Name the independent variable (the framing) and the dependent variable (the score). Some questions ask which change might reduce the effect, such as describing the test as one that shows no group differences.

Common confusion: Students mix it up with the stereotype itself or with prejudice from other people. Stereotype threat is the target's own concern about confirming the stereotype, and it can occur even when the person rejects that stereotype. It also differs from a self-fulfilling prophecy, where other people's expectations shape a person's behavior.