Abstract
What causes math anxiety? According to a cognitive deficits view, early weaknesses in basic number and spatial skills lead to poor performance and hence negative affect. A strong version of this view suggests that the relation between math anxiety and math performance among adults will be explained by deficits in spatial and basic number skills. In the present research, we tested a model to account for the relations among math anxiety, math performance, and cognitive skills (i.e., working memory, basic number and spatial skills) among adults (N = 90). We replicated the modest correlations observed between math anxiety and these cognitive skills. However, we did not find a direct link between basic number and spatial skills and math anxiety; instead, these relations were mediated by complex math performance. We conclude by rejecting the hypothesis that math anxiety in adults is linked directly to individual differences in spatial and basic numerical skills and suggest instead that the present results are consistent with the alternative view in which even basic numerical tasks, under certain conditions may evoke an anxiety response and mask skill proficiency. Finally, we note that caution should be applied when extrapolating correlational results to make causal claims about whether cognitive skills may be precursors in the development of math anxiety.
Highlights
What causes math anxiety? According to a cognitive deficits view, early weaknesses in basic number and spatial skills lead to poor performance and negative affect
We show that weaknesses in basic numerical skills are related to math anxiety indirectly through complex math performance and that complex math performance accounts for additional unique variance in math anxiety
Deficits in domain-general spatial and working memory skills among adults did not account for the relation between math anxiety and math performance and were indirectly related to math anxiety through more complex mathematical skills
Summary
What causes math anxiety? According to a cognitive deficits view, early weaknesses in basic number and spatial skills lead to poor performance and negative affect. Suárez-Pellicioni et al (2016) identified three general explanations for the relation between math anxiety and math performance: (a) A cognitive deficits model, in which early weaknesses in fundamental quantitative and spatial skills lead to poor performance and negative affect; (b) an attentional/working memory model in which math-anxious individuals’ susceptibility to distraction leads to on-line performance difficulties in mathematics that may cause or, exacerbate math anxiety, and (c) an experiential explanation, in which negative experiences during math learning in the home and school environments accumulate to produce avoidance and ongoing negative feelings. These results support the view that anxiety compromises the availability of working memory resources during on-line mathematical activity
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