title: Dealing with negative stereotypes in sports: the role of cognitive anxiety when multiple identities are activated in sensorimotor tasks.
abstract: Based on research on stereotype threat and multiple identities, this work explores the beneficial effects of activating a positive social identity when a negative identity is salient on women's performance in sports. Further, in line with research on the effects of anxiety in sports, we investigate whether the activation of a positive social identity buffers performance from cognitive anxiety associated with a negative stereotype. Two experiments tested these predictions in field settings. Experiment 1 (N = 83) shows that the simultaneous activation of a positive (i.e., member of a soccer team) and a negative social identity (i.e., woman) led to better performance than the activation of only a negative social identity for female soccer players. Experiment 2 (N = 46) demonstrates that identity condition moderated the effect of cognitive anxiety on performance for female basketball players. Results are discussed concerning multiple identities' potential for dealing with stressful situations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Martiny
authors.forename: Ilka H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Gleibs
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Parks-Stamm
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martiny-Huenger
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Froehlich
authors.forename: Anna Lena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Harter
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology*; D001490:Basketball / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D063507:Sexism / Q000523:psychology*; D012916:Soccer / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification; D013240:Stereotyping; D055815:Young Adult