Which phenomenon can cause underperformance due to fear of confirming negative stereotypes about one's group?

Which phenomenon can cause underperformance due to fear of confirming negative stereotypes about one's group?

• A. Social Loafing
• B. Groupthink
• C. Confirmation Bias
• D. Stereotype Threat

Answer: (D)

Stereotype threat is the tendency for individuals to underperform because they fear confirming a negative stereotype about their group. When someone is in an evaluative situation—such as a test, a performance review, or a high-stakes audition—this fear can occupy mental resources and spike anxiety.That drain on working memory and the ensuing stress make it harder to focus, retrieve information, and apply skills, even when the person has the ability to perform well. In short, the expectation of behaving in a way that confirms a stereotype actually hurts performance. Other phenomena describe different situations. Social loafing is about people putting in less effort when working in a group due to diffusion of responsibility. Groupthink involves a group prioritizing harmony over realistic evaluation, which can lead to poor decisions. Confirmation bias is about favoring information that confirms preconceptions, not about anxiety-driven underperformance in evaluative tasks.

Stereotype threat is the tendency for individuals to underperform because they fear confirming a negative stereotype about their group. When someone is in an evaluative situation—such as a test, a performance review, or a high-stakes audition—this fear can occupy mental resources and spike anxiety.That drain on working memory and the ensuing stress make it harder to focus, retrieve information, and apply skills, even when the person has the ability to perform well. In short, the expectation of behaving in a way that confirms a stereotype actually hurts performance.

Other phenomena describe different situations. Social loafing is about people putting in less effort when working in a group due to diffusion of responsibility. Groupthink involves a group prioritizing harmony over realistic evaluation, which can lead to poor decisions. Confirmation bias is about favoring information that confirms preconceptions, not about anxiety-driven underperformance in evaluative tasks.