STEREOTYPE THREAT SPILLOVER AND SAT® SCORES

Abstract

A recent study by Beilock, Rydell, and McConnell (2007) suggested that stereotype threat experienced in one domain (e.g., math) triggered by knowledge of a negative stereotype about a social group in that particular domain can spill over into subsequent tasks in totally unrelated domains (e.g., reading). The authors suggested that these findings might have implications for how the ordering of sections on standardized tests such as the SAT® or GRE could affect examinee performance. To test the authors' assertions, this study used data from a recent SAT administration in which either a reading, a math, or a writing section preceded a reading section. Performance on the subsequent reading section of members of a stereotype threatened group (i.e., women) who took the math section first was compared to performance of those who took the reading or writing section first. Results were inconsistent with the stereotype threat spillover hypothesis and serve to justify the warning of Cullen, Hardison, and Sackett (2004) to exercise caution in generalizing lab findings on stereotype threat to operational testing situations.