Math Question Type and Stereotype Threat: Evidence from Educational Settings

Abstract

The mere effort account of task performance posits that task evaluation apprehension leads to performance concerns, motivating task-takers to do well and thus potentiating a dominant response. When applied to stereotype threat (ST), mere effort posits that ST motivates test-takers to disprove a stereotype, facilitating a prepotent solve response, augmenting solve type question (e.g., equations) performance, but decreasing comparison type question (e.g., estimations) performance. We tested the mere effort account of ST. In Experiment 1, undergraduates (women) engaged in a practice statistics exam. ST did not facilitate performance on solve questions, but it debilitated performance on comparison questions. In Experiment 2, middle and high school students (girls and boys) engaged in a math practice exam. ST augmented girls' performance on solve questions and debilitated performance on comparison questions. The manipulation that produced stereotype threat in girls lifted boys' performance. This research documents mere effort ST effects in educational settings.