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Reducing the effect of stereotype threat: the role of coaction contexts and regulatory fit

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Abstract

Two experiments examined the effects of competition and cooperation contexts, as well as regulatory fit, on reducing the negative influence of stereotype threat. Experiment 1 demonstrated that in high stereotype threat conditions, participants in the cooperation context scored significantly higher on a math test than those in the competition context, while participants in low stereotype threat conditions did not differ in both contexts. Experiment 2 found that under stereotype threat, participants with induced prevention focus scored significantly higher on a math test in the cooperation context than those in the competition context or control group. At the same time, participants with induced promotion foci did not differ between the contexts. Thus, while the cooperation context may counteract the effect of stereotype threat, inducing a promotion focus may create a regulatory fit in the competition context that could also remove the effect of stereotype threat.

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Notes

  1. We also analyzed the data without the covariate. The pattern of results is similar, because the main effect of stereotype threat is significant, F stereotype(1, 131) = 8.40, p = 0.004, η 2p  = 0.06, and the main effect of the coaction context still not significant, F coaction(1, 130) = .42, p = 0.52, η 2p  < .01. Critically, the interaction remains significant, F interaction(1, 130) = 11.82, p = .001, η 2p  = 0.08.

  2. We also analyzed the data without the covariate. The pattern of results is similar, because the main effect of regulatory focus is not significant, F regulatory focus(2, 176) = .71, p = 0.49, η 2p  < .01 and the main effect of coaction context is significant, F coaction(1, 176) = 10.97, p = 0.001, η 2p  = .06. Critically, the interaction remains significant, F interaction(2, 176) = 3.07, p = .049, η 2p  = 0.03.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from Humanities and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China for Young Scholars grant 13YJC190023, Young Scholar Grant 31400903 from National Natural Science Foundation of China, General program Grant 31571147 of National Natural Science Foundation of China and Self-determined Research Funds of CCNU from the Colleges’ Basic Research and Operation of MOE Grants CCNU15Z02001 and CCNU14Z02015.

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  1. Xuanhao Dong

    Present address: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Fangfang Wen, Bin Zuo, Yang Wu, Xuanhao Dong & Wei Wang

  2. Center for Social Psychology Research, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Fangfang Wen, Bin Zuo, Yang Wu, Xuanhao Dong & Wei Wang

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Wen, F., Zuo, B., Wu, Y. et al. Reducing the effect of stereotype threat: the role of coaction contexts and regulatory fit. Soc Psychol Educ 19, 607–626 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-016-9344-z

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