Task features change the relation between math anxiety and number line estimation performance with rational numbers: Two large-scale online studies

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2023

Subject Area

Humans; Anxiety; Mathematics

Abstract

Math performance is negatively related to math anxiety (MA), though MA may impact certain math skills more than others. We investigated whether the relation between MA and math performance is affected by task features, such as number type (e.g., fractions, whole numbers, percentages), number format (symbolic vs. nonsymbolic), and ratio component size (small vs. large). Across two large-scale studies (combined = 3,822), the MA-performance relation was strongest for large whole numbers and fractions, and stronger for symbolic than nonsymbolic fractions. The MA-performance relation was also stronger for smaller relative to larger components, and MA relating to specific number types may be a better predictor of performance than general MA for certain tasks. The relation between MA and estimation performance changes depending on task features, which suggests that MA may relate to certain math skills more than others, which may have implications for how people reason with numerical information and may inform future interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Publication Title

Journal of experimental psychology. General

Volume

152

Issue

7

First Page

2094

Last Page

2117

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1037/xge0001382

PubMed ID

37079830

E-ISSN

1939-2222

Language

eng

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