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KirtmanNPSY7103-2
NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
Student: Nisaa Kirtman
PSY7103 ACKERMAN
RESEARCH METHODS 2 (Validity)
Faculty Use Only
Validity and Stereotype Threat
This summary will examine any validity issues found in “stereotype threat” research. First, it is important to outline the foundations of stereotype threat and its implications. Stereotype threat has become one of the most widely researched topics in social psychology (Derks, Inzlicht, & Kang, 2008; Schmader, Johns, & Forbes, 2008). The theory of stereotype threat asserts that stigmatized group members may underperform on diagnostic tests of ability through concerns about confirming …show more content…
A variable is a characteristic in an individual or group that may change depending on the context. Thus, the dependent variable “depends” on how particular variables are manipulated, while the independent variable may help predict the dependent variable but is a factor that can’t be manipulated. For example, in the context of stereotype threat, test score and performance serves as the dependent variable, while the “threat” itself and environmental conditions serve as the independent variable. In Steele and Aronson’s (1995) original study, the way in which the test is introduced (e.g., in a threatening or non-threatening way) is used to examine different levels of threat and, furthermore, perceived test difficulty. Compared to the independent variables, the dependent variables are measured through test performance. Related, the operationalization of variables is how we define variables into factors that can be measured. Hence, “stereotype threat” and “environment” are the manipulated and controlled independent variable terms that are used to test the performance of students. In this research, the threatening test instruction and conditions will impact the “test score” or “test performance” (30 verbal items from the GRE) of students – these terms serve as the operational definitions of the dependent
KirtmanNPSY7103-2
NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
Student: Nisaa Kirtman
PSY7103 ACKERMAN
RESEARCH METHODS 2 (Validity)
Faculty Use Only
Validity and Stereotype Threat
This summary will examine any validity issues found in “stereotype threat” research. First, it is important to outline the foundations of stereotype threat and its implications. Stereotype threat has become one of the most widely researched topics in social psychology (Derks, Inzlicht, & Kang, 2008; Schmader, Johns, & Forbes, 2008). The theory of stereotype threat asserts that stigmatized group members may underperform on diagnostic tests of ability through concerns about confirming …show more content…
A variable is a characteristic in an individual or group that may change depending on the context. Thus, the dependent variable “depends” on how particular variables are manipulated, while the independent variable may help predict the dependent variable but is a factor that can’t be manipulated. For example, in the context of stereotype threat, test score and performance serves as the dependent variable, while the “threat” itself and environmental conditions serve as the independent variable. In Steele and Aronson’s (1995) original study, the way in which the test is introduced (e.g., in a threatening or non-threatening way) is used to examine different levels of threat and, furthermore, perceived test difficulty. Compared to the independent variables, the dependent variables are measured through test performance. Related, the operationalization of variables is how we define variables into factors that can be measured. Hence, “stereotype threat” and “environment” are the manipulated and controlled independent variable terms that are used to test the performance of students. In this research, the threatening test instruction and conditions will impact the “test score” or “test performance” (30 verbal items from the GRE) of students – these terms serve as the operational definitions of the dependent