Working Memory Capacity, Stereotype Threat, and Women in Mathematics
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology and Special Education
Date of Award
Spring 2025
Abstract
Lower-level mathematics courses continue to be a gatekeeper for college success, preventing many students from completing their degree. According to T.R. Bailey, et al. (2015), only 16% of students placed into a developmental math course had subsequently completed a credit math course after three years. Racial and ethnic minorities are overrepresented in these courses, have lower completion rates (Bahr, 2010; T Bailey, et al., 2010), and are also affected by math-related stereotype threat, under the stereotype that they are lower-performing (Nguyen & Ryan, 2008). Women, meanwhile, are labeled by another stereotype to be lower-performing in math, and while they make up almost half of the workforce, they only represent about a quarter of the STEM workforce (Christnacht & Martinez, 2021). The purpose of this study was to determine whether stereotype threat affects accuracy and response time while controlling for individual differences in working memory capacity. This study focused specifically on the connection between WMC, known to be associated with mathematical ability, and stereotype threat in women in the math domain. The degree to which these students are affected by this threat may be moderated by their WMC. Women college students via the participant pool were recruited to complete a math task and a working memory task. I did not find significant effects of stereotype threat on response time; and Bayesian analysis supports the null in this case. However, I did find reverse significant effects on accuracy, with lower difference in high demand problems versus low demand problems, for the stereotype threat group. Working memory capacity did moderate this effect, according to a moderation analysis.
Advisor
Lacy Krueger
Subject Categories
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Irwin-Coury, Shanna, "Working Memory Capacity, Stereotype Threat, and Women in Mathematics" (2025). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 1257.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/1257
