The effect of mindfulness and stereotype threat in mental rotation: a pupillometry study

The effects of a brief mindfulness intervention and a stereotype threat activation on behavioural performance and cognitive load in a chronometric mental rotation test with cube figures were investigated. 107 participants (55 women and 52 men) were divided into four test groups (mindful or control intervention combined with or without stereotype threat activation). They completed two sets of 150 items each with cube figures of similar complexity and filled out a test of state mindfulness. Cognitive load was measured by changes in pupil dilation using eye tracking. Cognitive load, reaction time, and accuracy were analysed with linear mixed models with the factors time, stereotype threat, mindfulness, angular disparity, and sex. The analyses revealed no sex differences in either of the measurements. Neither stereotype threat nor mindfulness influenced task performance significantly. However, we found that high levels of state mindfulness inhibit stereotype threat to negatively influence task performance and cognitive load.