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The Wonderlic Test for the NFL Draft: Linking Stereotype Threat and the Law

Michael McCann
Vermont Law School


October 1, 2006


Abstract:     
This paper examines the law and social psychology of the "Wonderlic Personnel Test" ("the Wonderlic") administered to prospective National Football League ("NFL") players. It specifically examines whether "stereotype threat" is apparent among players taking the Wonderlic, and the potential legal implications of such a finding.

Stereotype threat reflects the behavioral effects that result from an individual's belief and fear that his actions will confirm a negative stereotype of a group to which he belongs. Stereotype threat typically manifests in anxiety, which can impair performance and trigger a self-fulfilling prophecy: because of stress related to his or her group membership, the person underperforms, thereby unintentionally corroborating the underlying group stereotype.

With recent empirical data indicating that the Wonderlic is not predictive of NFL performance, the potential presence of stereotype threat among football players taking the Wonderlic invites a wide-range of legal and social questions.

Working Paper Series

Date posted: October 03, 2006 ; Last revised: August 28, 2008

Suggested Citation

McCann, Michael A., The Wonderlic Test for the NFL Draft: Linking Stereotype Threat and the Law (October 1, 2006). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=934307


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Contact Information

Michael A. McCann (Contact Author)
Vermont Law School ( email )
68 North Windsor St.
South Royalton, VT 05068
(617) 875-6132 (Phone)
HOME PAGE: http://www.vermontlaw.edu/Our_Faculty/Faculty_Directory/Michael_McCann.htm

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