Can dyslexia diagnosis induce a stereotype threat effect? A literature review and research proposal

Author

David H. Harris, California State Polytechnic University - HumboldtFollow

Graduation Date

Spring 2025

Document Type

Project

Program

Master of Arts degree with a major in Psychology, option Academic Research

Committee Chair Name

Dr. Ethan Gahtan

Committee Chair Affiliation

Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Dr. Amber Gaffney

Second Committee Member Affiliation

Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Dyslexia, Stereotype threat, Stigma, Hidden disability identity, Standardized testing

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

Dyslexia is a recognized psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5, categorized as a specific language disorder. Dyslexia is a hidden disability that affects how individuals process auditory and visual information. Many people have heard of dyslexia but it is largely misunderstood, even by educational professionals, and its general association with learning disability can be the basis for negative stereotyping and discrimination of people with dyslexia. The ‘Stereotype threat effect’ is a term from social psychology research referring to situations where one’s performance on a task is influenced by their identification with a social group that has a well-known stereotype about their performance ability in that task domain. A dyslexia stereotype threat effect would occur if a person performs below their actual ability on a cognitive test as a result of believing they might have dyslexia. Several published studies have investigated the potential for dyslexia stereotype threat effects, but more research is needed, especially considering plans by some public-school systems for increased dyslexia screening. This paper will review the basic phenomena of dyslexia, provide a critical review of the existing scientific literature on dyslexia stereotype threat, and propose an experiment to investigate the potential for a dyslexia stereotype threat to occur in college students.

Citation Style

APA

Recommended Citation

Harris, David H., "Can dyslexia diagnosis induce a stereotype threat effect? A literature review and research proposal" (2025). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2311.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2311