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When avoiding failure improves performance: Stereotype threat and the impact of performance goals

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Abstract

We examined the impact of inducing performance-avoidance and approach goals (versus no goal) on women’s math performance in stereotype threatening versus nonthreatening situations. Two experiments showed that inducing either stereotype threat (versus no-threat) or a performance-avoidance goal (versus no goal) alone led to decreased math performance. However, inducing both stereotype threat and a performance-avoidance goal increased women’s performance and challenge appraisals. These findings are consistent with the theory of regulatory fit. Performance and challenge appraisals increased when there was a fit between the motivation associated with stereotype threat (avoid failure) and the induced goal (avoid performing worse than others). Implications for stereotype threat, achievement goals and regulatory focus theories are discussed.

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Notes

  1. We examined these latter goals only, because they have been shown to be good predictors of performance, whereas mastery goals are associated with different outcomes such as intrinsic motivation and enjoyment (e.g., Cury, Elliot, Da Fonseca, & Moller, 2006; Harackiewicz et al., 2002).

  2. Mediated moderation analyses were also conducted with challenge and threat appraisals separately and did not reveal significant effects.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Marie Curie fellowship from the European Commission. We wish to express our gratitude to Heidi Nyberg, Kathryn Chaimov, and Stacy Springmeyer for their help in collecting data.

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  1. Aïna Chalabaev

    Present address: Paris West University Nanterre La Défense, 200 avenue de la République, 92001, Nanterre cedex, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Aïna Chalabaev & Brenda Major

  2. University of Grenoble, Grenoble, France

    Aïna Chalabaev & Philippe Sarrazin

  3. ISM CNRS Aix Marseille University and Toulon Var South University, Grenoble, France

    François Cury

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  1. Aïna Chalabaev
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  2. Brenda Major
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  4. François Cury
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Correspondence to Aïna Chalabaev.

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Chalabaev, A., Major, B., Sarrazin, P. et al. When avoiding failure improves performance: Stereotype threat and the impact of performance goals. Motiv Emot 36, 130–142 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-011-9241-x

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