The difference isn't black and white: stereotype threat and the race gap on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices.
This study addresses recent criticisms aimed at the interpretation of stereotype threat research and methodological weaknesses of previous studies that have examined race differences on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM). African American and White undergraduates completed the APM under three conditions. In two threat conditions, participants received either standard APM instructions (standard threat) or were told that the APM was an IQ test (high threat). In a low threat condition, participants were told that the APM was a set of puzzles and that the researchers wanted their opinions of them. Results supported the stereotype threat interpretation of race differences in cognitive ability test scores. Although African American participants underperformed Whites under both standard and high threat instructions, they performed just as well as Whites did under low threat instructions.
Brown
Ryan P
RP
Department of Psychology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA. rpbrown@ou.edu
Day
Eric Anthony
EA
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D044383:Black People; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D013240:Stereotyping; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American