Stereotype Threat, Working Memory Load, and Math Performance in Women: A Pre-Registered Replication and Extension With Process Measures in 484 Undergraduate Participants

This study investigates pre-registered replication and extension of stereotype threat effects on math performance with working memory load measures and process mediators in 484 undergraduates within the context of social psychology and cognitive science, an area of growing scientific importance given its implications for educational equity intervention design, testing environment stereotype threat mitigation, and working memory training for stereotype threat reduction. Using pre-registered (OSF) 2x2 design (sex x threat condition), 484 participants, GRE-Q 20-item test, working memory load via operation span (OSPAN) concurrent task, and mediation analysis of working memory as process mediator of threat-performance link, we examine stereotype threat activating negative social identity concerns consuming limited working memory resources (suppression of task-irrelevant intrusive thoughts), reducing available cognitive capacity for math problem solving; mediation through WM reduction explains performance decrement without direct ability difference in 484 undergraduates (242 women, 242 men, matched on SAT-M score within ±40 points), randomized within sex to threat vs. control (n=121/cell), pre-registered sample size via power analysis (80% power for d=0.40) drawn from Pacific Social Behavior Lab with Qualtrics online delivery for threat manipulation (gender diagnostic framing) and custom OSPAN working memory task concurrent with GRE-Q items; SAT scores from registrar. Results indicate that threat condition reduces GRE-Q in women by 2.84 items (d=0.42, p<0.001) but not men (d=0.04, p=0.72); OSPAN capacity mediates 48.4% of threat-performance link in women (indirect effect -0.28, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.14, p<0.001); sex x condition interaction F(1,480)=12.4, p<0.001 (p < 0.001), with -2.84 items (d=0.42) in women; 48.4% OSPAN mediation; sex x condition F=12.4 as the primary quantitative benchmark. Concordance between primary and confirmatory measurement approaches exceeded 93%, validating the analytical framework. These findings contribute empirically to social psychology and cognitive science and carry actionable implications for the design of programs and policies targeting educational equity intervention design, testing environment stereotype threat mitigation, and working memory training for stereotype threat reduction.