Effet de l'activation de stéréotypes sur le comportement : une application en contexte sportif

A substantial body of literature, guided by the notion of automatic behavior, has demonstrated that, once activated, stereotypes can affect mental performances as well as motor behavior. This study investigated whether stereotypes can influence sport performance. Following the unrelated studies paradigm, participants (N = 48) were primed with elderly vs. basketball player stereotype before throwing a weighted ball. Activation of the elderly stereotype leads to decreased performance, whereas basketball player stereotype leads to improved performance (assimilation effects). Implications of this automatic behavior priming effect for sport performance are discussed.