Title
Mindful Maths: Reducing the Impact of Stereotype Threat through Mindfulness Exercise
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2012
Department 1
Psychology
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.
DOI
10.1016/j.concog.2011.10.011
Recommended Citation
Weger, Ulrich W., Nic Hooper, Brian P. Meier, and Timothy Hopthrow. “Mindful Maths: Reducing the Impact of Stereotype Threat through Mindfulness Exercise.” Conciousness and Cognition 21.1 (2012): 471-475.