Stereotype threat and lift effects in motor task performance: the mediating role of somatic and cognitive anxiety.
The aim of this investigation was to replicate the stereotype threat and lift effects in a motor task in a neutral sex-typed activity, using somatic and cognitive anxiety as key mediators of these phenomena. It was hypothesized that an ingroup/outgroup social categorization based on gender would have distinctive effects for female and male participants. A total of 161 French physical education students were randomly assigned to three threat conditions--no threat, female threat, and male threat--thus leading to a 3 x 2 (threat by gender) design. The analyses revealed a stereotype lift effect on the performances for both male and female participants, as well as a stereotype threat effect only for female participants. They also indicated that somatic anxiety had a mediating effect on the performance of female participants targeted by a negative stereotype, but that it had a facilitating effect on their performance. The stereotype threat and lift effects on motor tasks were replicated in a neutral sex-typed activity and somatic anxiety seems to have a facilitating mediating effect of the relationships between the gender-conditions (control or female threat) interaction and free-throw performance. The model used to distinguish somatic and cognitive anxiety appeared to be a relevant means of explaining the stereotype threat and lift mechanisms.
UFR Staps, Dijon 21000, France. laurin_raphael@yahoo.fr
Raphael
R
Laurin
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001490:Basketball / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis