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An Investigation of Stereotype Threat in Employment Tests 1
Author(s) -
Kirnan Jean Powell,
Alfieri Julie Ann,
Bragger Jennifer DeNicolis,
Harris Robert Sean
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00442.x
Subject(s) - test (biology) , psychology , stereotype threat , stereotype (uml) , social psychology , priming (agriculture) , ethnic group , population , cognition , cognitive test , developmental psychology , demography , political science , paleontology , botany , germination , neuroscience , sociology , law , biology
This investigation extends stereotype threat research by examining its effect on sex and ethnicity in employment testing. Study 1 used archival data from a company‐specific cognitive ability test, demonstrating score increases (greater for some minorities) when applicants completed demographic items after a cognitive skills test, rather than before the test. The first experiment (Study 2) used college students taking the same company‐specific test with inconclusive results. Possible reasons dictated the design of a second experiment with a college population (Study 3). This study used the Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT) and investigated priming through positioning of demographic items, as well as high/low threat. Positioning of the demographic items after the WPT was associated with an increase in test scores.