Since the early 1990s, Claude Steele's work in Strereotype Threat has been replicated and expanded by researchers across disciplines. As a chair of the Psychology Department at Stanford University, Steele was in a position to test his theory with students at that selective institution. Since then, the theory has been tested on students in other settings, as well.

Steele and his colleagues demonstrated that college students often live "up to" or "down to" the performance they think is ascribed to their group, whether that be based on gender, ethnicity, or some other demographic.

For example, college women tended to score as "women" as a group are stereotyped to perform in mathematics. In short, that means that women tended to score lower than other groups, even if their individual ability was actually higher than the norm. Through controlled experiments, the researchers invoked the group identity of "African American," "Asian American," "male," and "female." In all cases, invoking a group identity before administering a test resulted in driving scores up or down (depending on the group stereotype). The researchers used math tests, literature tests, etc., to assure that the effect was genuine.

They also experimented with different ways to invoke stereotypes. Sometimes a research assistant would casually remark about a group identity. Sometimes a pre-test would be used that merely suggested the word "race." Sometimes a test administrator would comment that the test women were about to take was "gender-free" (even when that was not so). One of the experiments demonstrated that African American female students scored lower on a test if it began with a checkbox for selecting ethnicity.

Educators have taken note: testing circumstances, and even a demographic form accompanying a test, have an impact on student performance. Further, the power of group identity can be addressed on a campus. One of the findings is especially pertinent for minority students on campus: those who are trying hardest may be the hardest hit by the stereotype threat.

Search terms for follow-up investigation: stereotype threat, Claude Steele, group identity theory, John Turner