Stereotype Threat and Stereotype Reactance: The Effect of Direct and Indirect Stereotype Manipulations on Performance of Palestinian Citizens of Israel on Achievement Tests

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Abstract

The role of stereotype threat in performance of Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCI) on the psychometric exam (parallel to the SAT in the United States) was investigated. Two experiments, conducted in field settings, examined the role of stereotype threat in performance of PCI students in psychometric-like tests. Experiment 1, conducted on 135 Arab high school students, indicated that activation of the stereotype pertaining to the lower academic ability of PCI lowered participants’ performance relative to a control group. Experiment 2, which included 115 Arab students who participated in preparatory courses for the psychometric tests, showed that a direct manipulation of the stereotype led to stereotype reactance and increased performance, whereas an indirect manipulation activated the stereotype and resulted in lowered performance. These findings suggest that activating a stereotype threat or a stereotype reactance is contingent on the manipulation employed. Practical implications of these results are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)667-681
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Volume48
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © The Author(s) 2017.

Keywords

  • Arabs
  • Israel
  • Palestinian citizens of Israel
  • minority groups
  • performance
  • stereotype reactance
  • stereotype threat

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Cultural Studies
  • Anthropology

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