Does mindfulness help to overcome stereotype threat in mental rotation in younger and older adolescents?

Abstract

We investigated gender differences in mental rotation performance in younger and older adolescents and effects of stereotype threat activation and a short mindfulness induction. Two hundred fifty younger adolescents from grades 5, 6, and 7 (119 boys) and 152 older adolescents from grades 10, 11, and 12 (80 boys) were divided into four groups with or without a mindfulness induction and with or without stereotype threat activation. All participants solved a mental rotation test and filled out a questionnaire about their gender stereotype beliefs and perceived abilities of masculine and feminine activities. Results illustrate that older adolescents outperformed younger adolescents, and gender differences in favor of males appeared only in the older age group. Independent of gender, the mindfulness induction had a significantly positive effect on adolescents' mental rotation performance that was significant only in the older age group. No effect of the stereotype activation was found. For gender stereotype beliefs and perceived abilities of gendered activities, the mindfulness intervention enhanced male stereotype beliefs and participants' perceived ability of masculine activities. A short mindfulness induction seems to have an enhancing effect on a subsequently performed stereotypically masculine cognitive task and consequently on adolescents' male stereotype beliefs and their perceived ability in masculine activities.

Fig. 1

Mean mental rotation scores dependent on age group and mindfulness intervention. Error bars indicate SE. Note: younger age group = grades 5–7, older age group = grades 10–12. The mindfulness intervention increases performance only for the older age group

Fig. 2

Gender stereotype beliefs dependent on age group, gender, and mindfulness intervention. Error bars indicate SE. Note: Younger age group = grades 5–7, older age group = grades 10–12

Fig. 3

Gender stereotype beliefs dependent on gender, mindfulness intervention, and stereotype threat (ST) activation. Error bars indicate SE

Fig. 4

Ability of masculine and feminine activities dependent on age group and mindfulness intervention. Error bars indicate SE. Note: younger age group = grades 5–7, older age group = grades 10–12