Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using The Placebo Effect As A Potential Mediator For Stereotype Threat, Nicholas Denney

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Previous research suggests that the placebo effect — the tendency for people to improve following a sham treatment — is pervasive in many contexts: people who expect to get better typically do regardless of the malady. Similarly, stereotype threat — the tendency for members of minority groups to demonstrate performance impairment when confronted with the stereotype — is also pervasive. While both phenomena are well-established and robust, no previous research has examined whether placebo can be used to limit the effect of stereotype threat. The present study seeks to do just that. By priming women in a laboratory setting to …