2-063 - International Perspectives on Educational, Behavioral, Neurobiological, and Motivational Aspects of Mathematical Anxiety

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Although the literature is dominated by studies examining the information processing pathways associated with mathematics, additional evidence suggests that affect and motivation may also have a significant impact on math performance. In particular, mathematical anxiety, defined as feelings of tension and fear that accompany math-related activities, can have crippling effects upon engagement in mathematics, and is also associated with poor math-related outcomes.

The purpose of this symposium is to examine the educational, cognitive, neurobiological, and motivational aspects of mathematical anxiety from an international perspective. Paper 1 (USA) examines the relationship between teacher characteristics and student mathematical anxiety, suggesting that teachers’ gender stereotypes about math are associated with lower math scores and higher math anxiety in female students. Paper 2 (China) examines the relationship between mathematical anxiety and different domains of mathematical achievement and math-related cognition, finding that mathematical anxiety remains a significant predictor of math achievement beyond math cognition. Paper 3 (Russia) employs an EEG-based paradigm to unpack the real-time unfolding of the math anxiety response. This study suggests that the anxiety response for harder math tasks is unique in relation to easier math and non-math tasks. Finally, Paper 4 (USA) examines a sample of twins, finding that individuals with low math motivation demonstrate a consistent negative relationship between math anxiety and math performance whereas individuals with high math motivation actually benefit from moderate levels of mathematical anxiety. Taken together, these studies suggest that mathematical anxiety offers important untapped possibilities for understanding the cognitive-affective dimension of mathematical performance.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Stephen Anthony Petrill, Ohio State University

Individual Presentations

• Teachers’ Stereotype Endorsement Hinders Girls’ Math Achievement and Increases their Math Anxiety - Presenting Author: Erin Maloney, The University of Chicago; Elizabeth A Gunderson, Temple University; Gerardo Ramirez, University of California, Los Angeles; Susan Cohen Levine, University of Chicago; Sian Beilock, University of Chicago

• The relations of math anxiety and math performance - Presenting Author: Yiyun Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning; Xinlin Zhou, Beijing Normal University

• The brain correlates of mathematics anxiety: evidence from an EEG paradigm - Presenting Author: Marghertia Malanchini, Goldsmiths College, University of London; SERGEY Borisovich MALYKH, Russian Academy of Sciences; Mikhail Zaleshin, Tomsk State University; Mikhail Grinyaev, Tomsk State University; Alexander Savostyanov, Novosibirsk State University; Yulia Kovas, University of London

• Is Mathematical Anxiety Always Bad for Math Learning: The Role of Math Motivation - Presenting Author: Zhe Wang, Ohio State University; Sarah L Lukowski, Ohio State University; Sara Hart, Florida State University; Ian M Lyons, University of Western Ontario; Lee Anne Thompson, Case Western Reserve University; Yulia Kovas, University of London; Robert Plomin, Institute of Psychiatry; Stephen Anthony Petrill, Ohio State University