Stereotype Threat and Task Stereotype Threat and Task Performance: How Calvin Klein Models Affect the Average Joe

Abstract

13 male-identified individuals of all ages participated in the study. In quantitative analysis, no significant changes were found between experimental groups. Interviews were coded qualitatively by three categories: ideal characteristics of a man, personal main influence on masculinity, and whether or not there was a perceived difference in individual and masculine confidence. These findings revealed that 8 of the 13 total individuals believed that the people around them, including peers, family, and role models had the biggest impact on their ideals, whereas only 2 mentioned media as the main influence. Due to the variability in response and small sample size, the data was not generalizable to a specific population. Future work may choose to focus on only college-age American men as to increase external validity and allow researchers to choose more age-specific advertising. In conclusion, although the results were statistically insignificant, the study provided important qualitative findings that may guide future research.