Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
The social costs of academic success across ethnic groups
Thomas E Fuller-Rowell1, Stacey N Doan
1Department of Psychology, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. tf42@cornell.edu
Abstract:
This study explores the longitudinal association between academic achievement and social acceptance across ethnic groups in a nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 13,570; M(age) = 15.5 years). The effects of school context are also considered. Results show that African American and Native American adolescents experience greater social costs with academic success than Whites. Pertaining to school context, findings suggest that the differential social consequences of achievement experienced by African Americans are greatest in more highly achieving schools, but only when these schools have a smaller percentage of Black students. Students from Mexican descent also showed differential social costs with achievement in particular contexts. The implications of these findings to theory, policy, and future research are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Self-Esteem and Culture
Impact of Groups on Groups
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies