Multiple social identities and stereotype threat: Imbalance, accessibility, and working memory.

• DOI: 10.1037/a0014846
• Publication Date: 2009-04-21T03:05:20Z
• Authors: Robert J. Rydell; Allen R. McConnell; Sian L. Beilock
• Keywords: Stereotype Threat; Stereotype (UML)

In 4 experiments, the authors showed that concurrently making positive and negative self-relevant stereotypes available about performance in same ability domain can eliminate stereotype threat effects. Replicating past work, demonstrated introducing women's math activated participants' female social identity hurt their (i.e., threat) by reducing working memory. Moving beyond it was also concomitantly presenting a (e.g., college students are good at math) increased relative accessibility of females' student inhibited gender identity, eliminating attendant memory deficits contingent decrements. Furthermore, subtle manipulations questions presented demographic section test eliminated effects result from women reporting before completing test. This work identifies motivated processes through which people's identities became active situations stigmatized group membership nonstigmatized were available. addition, demonstrates downstream consequences this pattern activation on performance.