Key Takeaways
- Stereotype threat is a psychological state that can hurt performance in tasks like tests or memory recall.
- It can be triggered by stereotypes about group abilities, even if you don’t believe them, leading to stress and distraction.
- A growth mindset, which says skills can improve with effort, can help combat stereotype threat.
Stereotype threat is an uncomfortable psychological state that can impair performance on a variety of tasks, from standardized tests to memory tasks for older individuals. Stereotype threat arises in situations where an individual is being evaluated, and a stereotype is relevant. The term was coined by Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson in 1995.
For example, when both African American and White college students were given a standardized test and told it was a diagnostic tool used to measure verbal ability, the African American students performed significantly worse than they did when they were told the test was a non-evaluative exercise.
This article will go over what causes stereotype threat, list examples of the phenomenon, and discuss the prevalence of stereotype threat. It will wrap up with a discussion of some things that will combat stereotype threat.
What Causes Stereotype Threat
Stereotype threat can be triggered, intentionally or unintentionally, by reminders of the stereotypes that a given group has endured. For example, when men and women took a challenging math test, women, who are often stereotyped as less proficient at math than men, performed 15% worse than men unless this result was nullified by putting the statement, “This test has never produced gender differences in the past” on the front of the test.
“When something triggers worry or anxiety, part of your brain that typically is operating smoothly, your prefrontal cortex, …gets an extra burden added to it,” explained Joshua Aronson, an associate professor of applied psychology, Director of the Mindful Education Lab at New York University, and co-originator of stereotype threat. “It’s like how in addition to solving this math problem or difficult verbal problem, I have to solve the problem of what does my extra stress here mean? And that translates to reduced bandwidth for the brain, reduced working memory….”
In addition to poorer performance on a test or other evaluative problem, stereotype threat can also lead to disengagement or reduced effort, anxiety, lower creativity, and lower speed on a task.
It’s like how in addition to solving this math problem or difficult verbal problem, I have to solve the problem of what does my extra stress here mean? And that translates to reduced bandwidth for the brain, reduced working memory….
Examples of Stereotype Threat
Examples of stereotype threats are everywhere. The theory originated with African Americans’ inability to take a test as well as their White counterparts if a stereotype was triggered, but many other examples have arisen, including:
- Women, who are aware of a stereotype portraying women as less proficient in a STEM-test prep than men, did a worse job at note-taking activities than men.
- Older individuals who are made aware of the stereotype that old people’s memories were faulty and deteriorating performed worse on a test of short-term memory than people who were reminded of the stereotype “old people are wise.”
- White males, who were told when taking a math test that part of the objective for taking the test was to understand why Asians perform better, performed significantly worse on the test than those who were not given this stereotype threat.
- Employees who have clinical obesity, often stereotyped as lazy and less competent than employees who are not affected by obesity, reported more weight-based stereotype threats, including lower work ability.
Prevalence of Stereotype Threat
There are numerous examples of stereotype threats across many realms, from school and work to sports. While there aren’t precise numbers for how prevalent stereotype threat is, anywhere that a stereotype is brought up either directly or indirectly about a given group has the potential to evoke stereotype threat.
Even worse, “a lot of times people come out of these situations… with a slight confirmation of the stereotype,” says Aronson. “They’re taking a standardized test; they don’t do well on it. The stereotype guides their attribution [and they’ll interpret it] as ‘I’m not that smart at this,’ and… they’ll avoid the work, they’ll avoid those situations that reveal their weakness.” So it’s in our best interest to combat stereotype threat in the various places where it exists.
Combatting Stereotype Threat
Aronson says the key to combatting stereotype threat is a growth mindset, which says that your skills aren’t set in stone and will improve over time with work. Unfortunately, that growth mindset has been watered down to the point that it no longer has much impact. “Instead of embodying my belief in your growth, I give you a little slogan that says you should believe in your own growth. That’s not going to do much…,” Aronson explains.
They’re taking a standardized test; they don’t do well on it. The stereotype guides their attribution [and they’ll interpret it] as ‘I’m not that smart at this,’ and… they’ll avoid the work, they’ll avoid those situations that reveal their weakness.
Still, stereotype threat can be improved if we have relationships that combat it. “Stereotypes play a big role in the fact of not knowing people very well,” Aronson says. “But in a small class, where you really can get to know kids, stereotypes don’t matter. What really matters is who you know the child to be, how you treat them, how they treat you, what your relationship is, that transcends everything.”
This is the same in the realm of work too. If you can have a good relationship with your boss and co-workers, you can have a better time at work.
To combat stereotype threat further, Ariel Landrum, a licensed marriage and family therapist and Clinical Director at Guidance Teletherapy, recommends the following:
- Awareness and education. “Educate people about the concept of stereotype threat because awareness is the first step for any form of change,” says Landrum.
- Promote diversity and inclusion. In environments where individuals learn, work, and socialize, dispelling stereotypes through diversity and inclusion will reduce the fear of confirming them.
- Providing positive role models. When people from marginalized groups can see people from their own group become successful and overcome challenges, it reduces stereotype threat.
- Create safe spaces. For individuals who are part of a specific marginalized group, have groups available where people can come together and talk about stereotype threat and the other pressures they face.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Aronson J, Steele CM. Stereotypes and the Fragility of Academic Competence, Motivation, and Self-Concept. In: Elliot, AJ, Dweck, CS, eds. Handbook of Competence and Motivation. The Guilford Press; 2005:436-456.
Bogdewiecz A. Avoiding Stereotype Threat in the Workplace. Association for Talent Development. 2021.
Appel M, Kronberger N, Aronson J. Stereotype threat impairs ability building: Effects on test preparation among women in science and technology. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2011;41(7):904-913. doi:10.1002/ejsp.835
Zacher H, von Hippel C. Weight-based stereotype threat in the workplace: Consequences for employees with overweight or obesity. Int J Obes. 2022;46(4):767-773. doi:10.1038/s41366-021-01052-5
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