The Effect of Weight Stereotyping on Sport Motor Skill Learning In Children

Stereotype threat is a situational phenomenon that occurs when a stigmatized group feels pressured by the possibility of confirming or being tested negatively and performs determined tasks below its capacity. The purpose of study was to investigate the effect of weight stereotyping on sport motor skill learning in children.
 

For this purpose, 24 children from 8 to 10 years old (M = 7.33) with overweight perception (BMI = 26.1) were selected to participate in this study. The method of this study was, semi experimental and its design was pre-test, post-test and retention test with two groups of overweight and with overweight perception and without overweight group with overweight perception. The task used in this study was a dribbling a soccer ball that was performed by the subjects through three stages of pretest, acquisition and retention. In the pretest phase, the subjects performed one trial. Then, at the acquisition stage, the subjects performed 15 trials. Two days after the last trial, a retention test was performed in 5 trial.

The results of statistical analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the ST and RST group both in the acquisition and retention stages, which was in favor of the RST group.

Therefore, these findings suggest that weight stereotypes have a significant effect on learning motor skills.