A first experiment aimed at extending stereotype threat to anxious behaviour was carried out. Male and female students had to speak in front of a camera. As expected, female participants in the threat condition behaved more anxiously than did participants in the other three conditions that did not differ from one another. It is suggested that this confirmation of the stereotype occurred because the female participants had low control over the task. In a second study, female participants' control over the task was manipulated. As expected, threatened participants behaved in more anxiously when they had low level of control over the task, but not when they had a high level of control over the task. Together, these studies argue for the generality of stereotype threat to everyday behaviour, and show that its negative effects are not inescapable.
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