Research Report Detail
| Title | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stereotype Threat Spillover and SAT Scores
Michael Walker; Brent Bridgeman; | ||
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12/31/2008 A recent study by Beilock, Reidell, and McConnell (2007) suggested that stereotype threat experienced in one domain (e.g., math) triggered by knowledge of a negative stereotype about a social group in that particular domain can spill over into subsequent tasks in totally unrelated domains (e.g., reading). The authors suggested that these findings might have implications for how the ordering of sections on standardized tests such as the SAT or GRE could affect examinee performance. To test the authors' assertions, this study used data from a recent SAT administration in which either a reading, a math, or a writing task preceded a reading task. Performance on the subsequent reading task of members of a stereotype threatened group (i.e., women) who took the math task first was compared to performance of those who took the reading or writing task first. Results were inconsistent with the stereotype threat spillover hypothesis, and serve to justify the exhortation of Cullen, Hardison, and Sackett (2004) for caution in generalizing lab findings on stereotype threat to operational testing situations. |
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