Stereotype threat among students with disabilities: the importance of the evaluative context on their cognitive performance

This study investigated the hypothesis that cognitive performance of students with physical disabilities may be influenced by the evaluators’ identity. Students with or without a physical disability completed a logic test and were informed that they would be evaluated by students from their own group (ingroup condition) or from an other group (outgroup condition). When they had been informed they would be evaluated by students in the outgroup (i.e., students without disabilities), students with physical disabilities had a worse performance than all other participants. Findings are discussed in relation to stereotype threat and its consequences in academic contexts.