Abstract
Being in the numerical minority can impair intellectual performance. We suggest, however, that these negative effects need not extend to everyone because some people-specifically high self-monitors-can overcome the effects of situationally activated stereotypes. In two studies, we manipulated the race/sex composition of small groups and assessed intellectual performance. Results revealed that: (a) self-monitoring moderated the effects of group-composition on performance, such that it was positively related to performance in stressful minority settings, (b) the number of out-group members in a group caused a linear effect on performance that differed for high and low self-monitors, and (c) stereotype activation mediated self-monitoring's moderating effect on performance. Thus, high self-monitors may be resilient to threatening environments because they react to negative stereotypes with increased (and not decreased) performance. We discuss these results in relation to theories of inter-group contact, stereotype threat, and stress and coping.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 323-336 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2006 |
Keywords
- Coping
- Minority environments
- Resiliency
- Self-monitoring
- Solo status
- Stereotype threat
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science