Allport's legacy and the situational press of stereotypes

This article focuses on two aspects of Allport's (1954) investigation of th e psychology of being a target of prejudice. Whereas most researchers in th is area view Allport as an expectancy theorist, we revisit another aspect o f Allport's theory: the situational threat posed by negative stereotypes. F irst, we examine this issue, as it applies to the academic underachievement of negatively stereotyped groups, by contrasting the situational threat po sed by stereotypes with traditional and current expectancy-oriented concept ions. Second, we show that stereotypes do not appear to affect self-expecta tions; instead, they appear to foster a climate of mistrust that results in depressed performance. Finally, we discuss how interventions that ameliora te the climate of mistrust, such as the presence of educators who are compe tent minority group members, tend to raise levels of performance.