Suppose that an African American man who excels in verbal skills, which are very important to him, is taking a test that is much harder than he has taken in the past. The negative stereotype about African Americans is then signaled. According to Steele's (1997) notion of stereotype threat, we would expect this man to
A) perform more poorly than his White counterparts.
B) perform just as well as his White counterparts.
C) perform better than his White counterparts.
D) defensively feel that this test is relatively easy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Steele's notion of stereotype threat, when individuals are in situations where a negative stereotype about their group is relevant, they may experience anxiety or concern that they will confirm the stereotype. This can impair their performance. In this scenario, the African American man might perform more poorly due to the anxiety induced by the stereotype threat, especially since the test is harder than what he's used to and verbal skills are important to him.

Suppose That an African American Man Who Excels in Verbal