The present study aims to gain empirical knowledge about stereotype threat and its underlying mechanisms. An experiment with an all-female sample demonstrated that media mediated stimuli can provoke stereotype threat. Due to that fact the external validity of the construct could be confirmed.
For inducing stereotype threat a video of the German comedian Mario Barth was used, the participants in the control group watched a video of German comedian Luke Mockridge. In the main study a significant effect of stereotype threat on achievement could be found. Additionally, regression analysis suggested that the effect of stereotype threat is moderated significantly by situational humour. The more humour a participant perceived the less was the susceptibility of the participant to the effects of stereotype threat. A moderation of the effects of stereotype threat by coping sense of humour was tested but not confirmed.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Theory
1.1. Stereotype threat
1.1.1. Mechanisms of stereotype threat
1.1.2. Media mediated stereotype threat
1.2. Sense of humour
1.2.1. Coping sense of humour
1.2.2. Perceived humour
1.2.3. Sexist humour
1.3. Coping stereotype threat with humour
1.4. Hypotheses
2. Preliminary study
2.1. Method
2.1.1. Participants
2.1.2. Material
2.1.2.1. Measurement of situational humour
2.1.2.2. Measurement of perceived sexism
2.1.2.3. Measurement of familiarness
2.1.2.4. Stimuli
2.1.3. Procedure
2.2. Results
2.3. Discussion
3. Main study
3.1. Method
3.1.1. Participants
3.1.2. Material
3.1.2.1. Stereotype threat stimuli (Independent variable)
3.1.2.2. Perceived Humour Scale (Moderator)
3.1.2.3. Coping Sense of Humour Scale (Moderator)
3.1.2.4. Performance test (Dependent variable)
3.1.3. Procedure
3.2. Results
3.2.1. Descriptive data analysis
3.2.2. Testing the hypotheses
3.3. Discussion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the phenomenon of stereotype threat, focusing on its impact on performance and the potential moderating role of humour. The research explores whether exposure to media-mediated stereotypes can provoke this threat and if situational or trait-based humour can mitigate its performance-impairing effects.
- Mechanisms of stereotype threat in media-mediated contexts
- The impact of sexist humour on performance and well-being
- Evaluation of humour as a coping mechanism (state vs. trait)
- Empirical validation of stereotype threat triggers
- Analysis of moderators in stereotype threat scenarios
Excerpt from the Book
1.1. Stereotype threat
In their book Stereotype threat: Theory, Process and Application (2011), Inzlicht and Schmader defined the construct “as a situational predicament where individuals are at a risk, by dint of their actions or behaviours, of confirming negative stereotypes about their group” (Inzlicht, & Schmader, 2011, p. 5). Steele (1997; 1997) as well as Steele and Aronson (1995) showed that the confrontation with a negative stereotype can lower the performance of a person belonging to the stigmatised group. First, stereotype threat was used to describe the lower college scores of African-American students compared to Caucasian-American students. Other empirical studies showed that the idea can also be transferred to low performances of women in mathematics and science (Brown, & Josephs, 1999; Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999; Inzlicht, & Ben-Zeev, 2000; Quinn, & Spencer, 2001; Smith, & White, 2001), of people with low socio-economic status (Croizet, & Claire, 1998) and of women in a driving situation (Yeung, & von Hippel, 2008). Steele (1997) already suggested that stereotype threat can affect everybody. Social identity threat delineates the situation when people experience the social group which they belong to presented negatively.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the historical and socio-cultural context of gender stereotypes and introduces the concept of stereotype threat as a potential cause for the achievement gap in STEM domains.
1. Theory: Explores the conceptual foundations of stereotype threat, its underlying cognitive mechanisms, and the theoretical role of humour as both a state-based coping mechanism and a personality trait.
2. Preliminary study: Details the empirical verification of experimental stimuli, ensuring that the selected videos differ in perceived sexism but remain comparable regarding humour and familiarity.
3. Main study: Outlines the experimental design, participants, and statistical analysis conducted to test the hypotheses regarding stereotype threat and the moderating effects of humour on performance.
Keywords
stereotype threat, situational humour, coping sense of humour, women, achievement gap, STEM, performance, moderation, media stimuli, cognitive impairment, gender stereotypes, experimental psychology, social identity threat, sexism, performance test
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work examines how stereotype threat affects the performance of women and whether humour can serve as a buffer to mitigate these negative effects.
What are the primary themes addressed?
Key themes include the psychological mechanisms of stereotype threat, the distinction between trait and state humour, and the impact of media-mediated stereotypes.
What is the main research objective?
The study aims to contribute to the reduction of the achievement gap by identifying whether situational humour moderates the performance impairment caused by stereotype threat.
Which scientific method is applied?
The researcher employs an experimental design involving a pretest-posttest performance measure and uses regression analyses to test for moderation effects.
What does the main part of the study cover?
The main section describes the methodology, including the selection of stimuli (comedian videos), the measurement of variables, and the statistical evaluation of the hypotheses.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The research is best described by terms such as stereotype threat, situational humour, coping sense of humour, and women in STEM.
Why was Mario Barth chosen as a stimulus?
He was selected because his comedy frequently targets gender differences, making his performances suitable as a media-mediated trigger for stereotype threat.
What was the result regarding coping sense of humour?
Unlike previous studies, this experiment did not find evidence that trait-based coping sense of humour significantly moderates the effects of stereotype threat in the tested setup.
How does situational humour affect the results?
The analysis suggests that experiencing situational humour acts as a moderator, helping to reduce the negative impact of stereotype threat on test performance.
- Quote paper
- Markus Volkmar (Author), 2015, The Moderating Effect of Humour on Media Mediated Stereotype Threat, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/313181
