Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
JEDILab, Division of Economics, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
PLoS One. 2019 Jan 25;14(1):e0211283. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211283. eCollection 2019.
In contemporary society, it is essential to have adequate mathematical skills. Being numerate has been linked to positive life outcomes and well-being in adults. It is also acknowledged that math anxiety (MA) hampers mathematical skills increasingly with age. Still, the mechanisms by which MA affect performance remain debated. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we contrast the different ways in which MA has been suggested to interfere with math abilities. Our models indicate that MA may affect math performance through three pathways: (1) indirectly through working memory ability, giving support for the 'affective drop' hypothesis of MA's role in mathematical performance, (2) indirectly through symbolic number processing, corroborating the notion of domain-specific mechanisms pertaining to number, and (3) a direct effect of MA on math performance. Importantly, the pathways vary in terms of their relative strength depending on what type of mathematical problems are being solved. These findings shed light on the mechanisms by which MA may interfere with mathematical performance.
在当代社会，具备足够的数学技能至关重要。在成年人中，具备一定的数学素养与积极的生活结果和幸福感息息相关。人们也认识到，数学焦虑（MA）会随着年龄的增长而越来越多地阻碍数学技能的发展。然而，MA 影响表现的机制仍存在争议。我们使用结构方程建模（SEM），对比了 MA 被认为干扰数学能力的不同方式。我们的模型表明，MA 可能通过三种途径影响数学表现：（1）通过工作记忆能力间接影响，为 MA 在数学表现中的“情感下降”假设提供支持，（2）通过符号数字处理间接影响，证实了与数字相关的特定领域机制的概念，以及（3）MA 对数学表现的直接影响。重要的是，这些途径的相对强度取决于所解决的数学问题的类型而有所不同。这些发现揭示了 MA 可能干扰数学表现的机制。
