Which of the following people is most likely to experience social identity threat?
A) an African-American student who believes that he is about to take a test that measures intellectual ability
B) an African-American student who believes that her performance on the test will not reveal anything about her actual intellectual ability
C) a white student who believes that he is about to take a test that measures intellectual ability
D) a white student who believes that his performance on the test will not reveal anything about his actual intellectual ability

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Social identity threat refers to the fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one's social group. In this case, the African-American student is most likely to experience social identity threat because the stereotype is that African-Americans are intellectually inferior, which is likely to be activated when taking a test that measures intellectual ability. The belief that the test will reveal something about their actual intellectual ability (option A) exacerbates the social identity threat. Option B may still involve some degree of stereotype threat, but not as much as option A. The white students (options C and D) are less likely to experience social identity threat in this scenario, as there is no negative stereotype about white individuals' intellectual ability.

Which of the Following People Is Most Likely to Experience