Mindful maths: Reducing the impact of stereotype threat through a mindfulness exercise

Weger, Ulrich W.; Meier, Brian P.; Hooper, Nic; Hopthrow, Tim

Abstract

Individuals who experience stereotype threat - the pressure resulting from social comparisons that are perceived as unfavourable - show performance decrements across a wide range of tasks. One account of this effect is that the cognitive pressure triggered by such threat drains the same cognitive (or working-memory) resources that are implicated in the respective task. The present study investigates whether mindfulness can be used to moderate stereotype threat, as mindfulness has previously been shown to alleviate working-memory load. Our results show that performance decrements that typically occur under stereotype threat can indeed be reversed when the individual engages in a brief (5 min) mindfulness task. The theoretical implications of our findings are discussed. © 2011 .

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2012
• Journal: Consciousness and Cognition
• Print ISSN: 1053-8100
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 471-475
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2011.10.011
• Keywords: mindfulness, maths, stereotype threat
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/949643
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2011.10.011