OCCASIONAL PIECE East African running dominance revisited: a role for stereotype threat?
نویسندگان
چکیده
Accepted2December2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R esearchers have long speculated on the factors that contribute to making an elite athlete. When a particular group appears to dominate a given domain, even more speculation and interest is generated. Current examples from sport include the American dominance of basketball and the Northern European dominance of Nordic skiing. An example that has garnered much attention 2 is East African dominance of middle and long distance running. Although several empirically based positions have been advanced to explain the interindividual variation in performance, 4 the dominance of black athletes in certain sports has been commonly attributed to factors such as social Darwinism— that is, the hardships of slavery resulted in a degree of genetic selection—and environmental determinism—that is, physiological adaptations associated with living under certain environmental conditions. Hamilton examined empirical evidence for a range of influences that may contribute to East African running dominance, including environmental, social, psychological, and physiological variables. After examining research from various disciplines, he concluded that there was no clear explanation for the East African supremacy. However, Hamilton argued that psychological factors may perpetuate this dominance by attributing differences between African and white running performances to stable external factors, thereby disempowering white runners and empowering East African runners. Regardless of the possible existence of physiological advantages in East African runners, belief that such differences exist creates a psychological atmosphere that can have significant consequences on performance.
منابع مشابه
East African running dominance revisited: a role for stereotype threat?
Regardless of the possible existence of physiological advantages in East African runners, belief that such differences exist creates a psychological atmosphere that can have significant consequences on performance. This is known as stereotype threat and can feature in many sports.
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