Lee Kyungmin, Cho Soohyun
Department of Psychology, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea.
Int J Psychol. 2018 Aug;53(4):321-329. doi: 10.1002/ijop.12412. Epub 2017 Jan 26.
Mathematics anxiety (MA) refers to the experience of negative affect when engaging in mathematical activity. According to Ashcraft and Kirk (2001), MA selectively affects calculation with high working memory (WM) demand. On the other hand, Maloney, Ansari, and Fugelsang (2011) claim that MA affects all mathematical activities, including even the most basic ones such as magnitude comparison. The two theories make opposing predictions on the negative effect of MA on magnitude processing and simple calculation that make minimal demands on WM. We propose that MA has a selective impact on mathematical problem solving that likely involves processing of magnitude representations. Based on our hypothesis, MA will impinge upon magnitude processing even though it makes minimal demand on WM, but will spare retrieval-based, simple calculation, because it does not require magnitude processing. Our hypothesis can reconcile opposing predictions on the negative effect of MA on magnitude processing and simple calculation. In the present study, we observed a negative relationship between MA and performance on magnitude comparison and calculation with high but not low WM demand. These results demonstrate that MA has an impact on a wide range of mathematical performance, which depends on one's sense of magnitude, but spares over-practiced, retrieval-based calculation.
数学焦虑（MA）是指在进行数学活动时产生的负面情绪体验。根据阿什克拉夫特和柯克（2001年）的研究，数学焦虑会选择性地影响需要高工作记忆（WM）的计算。另一方面，马洛尼、安萨里和富格桑（2011年）声称，数学焦虑会影响所有数学活动，甚至包括诸如数量比较等最基本的活动。这两种理论对数学焦虑对数量处理和对工作记忆要求极低的简单计算的负面影响做出了相反的预测。我们认为，数学焦虑对可能涉及数量表征处理的数学问题解决有选择性影响。基于我们的假设，即使对工作记忆要求极低，数学焦虑也会影响数量处理，但会放过基于检索的简单计算，因为它不需要数量处理。我们的假设可以调和关于数学焦虑对数量处理和简单计算的负面影响的相反预测。在本研究中，我们观察到数学焦虑与高工作记忆需求而非低工作记忆需求下的数量比较和计算表现之间存在负相关。这些结果表明，数学焦虑会影响广泛的数学表现，这取决于一个人的数量感，但会放过过度练习的、基于检索的计算。
