In a series of experiments, Steele and Aronson (1995) had both African-American and White students at Stanford University take a verbal test. In one condition, the test was described as a valid measure of intelligence, and in the other condition, the test was described as neither a reliable nor valid measure of intelligence. In the former condition, African Americans performed more poorly than did White students because __________.
A) African American students were overwhelmed by a fear of success
B) African American students experienced social identity threat
C) White students were determined that African American students would not "outscore" them
D) African American students shared the cultural stereotype

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phenomenon observed in this experiment is known as stereotype threat, which occurs when individuals feel at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group. In this case, African-American students may have experienced social identity threat when taking the test described as a valid measure of intelligence because of negative stereotypes and societal biases about the intelligence of African Americans. This can lead to increased anxiety and reduced performance on the test. The difference in performance between African-American and White students disappeared when the test was described as neither reliable nor valid, suggesting that the impact of stereotype threat was reduced.

In a Series of Experiments, Steele and Aronson (1995) Had