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The Effects of Stereotype Threat and Locus of Control on Performance
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by LaTrice Montgomery - Berea College
Categories: Social | Stress | Emotion
Recent research suggests that stereotype threat can influence performance regardless of race. The present study investigated if and how locus of control affects the relationship between stereotype threat and task performance. After completing a demographic questionnaire and Rotter’s (1966) locus of control survey, 28 African American and 32 White undergraduate students read instructions for a computer game played in either a stereotype threat or control condition. Independent samples t tests suggested that stereotype threat diminished performance, regardless of participants' race. The restricted range of locus of control scores did not allow for consideration of the question of the influence of this independent variable. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
Spring 2010 | Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (Vol. 15, No. 1, p. 13), published by Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2010, Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.