The anxiety-complexity effect was replicated in response time only, with no speed-accuracy trade-off, in manageable two-digit arithmetic¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Individuals with higher trait math anxiety need particularly more time to solve complex arithmetic involving carry or borrow operations. → Yao 2026 q3 i? No speed-accuracy trade-off was observed; math-anxious individuals responded more slowly without sacrificing accuracy in tasks that were in principle solvable. → Yao 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Yao 2026¶

Yao, X., Huber, J.F., Li, Z., Findik, Y., Nuerk, H.-C. & Artemenko, C. (2026). The dynamics of state math anxiety vary by paradigm and timing during arithmetic. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00398-z

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Speed-accuracy LMM analysis reported in Table S2 of the two-digit arithmetic study with carry and borrow operations manipulated in a 2 × 2 design. The article reports the replicated anxiety-complexity effect "in response time instead of accuracy"; the discussion attributes it to working-memory demands of carry/borrow.

"The anxiety -complexity effect was also replicated in the current study ( Table S2 )7,8,62, with individuals with higher trait math anxiety need ing particularly more time to solve complex arithmetic (involving carry or borrow operations)."

Yao 2026 (2)¶

Yao, X., Huber, J.F., Li, Z., Findik, Y., Nuerk, H.-C. & Artemenko, C. (2026). The dynamics of state math anxiety vary by paradigm and timing during arithmetic. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00398-z

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Speed-accuracy LMM analysis (Table S2) in the same study, reported in the discussion as exploratory. The authors state the absence of a trade-off "(Table S2)" and note high accuracy indicated a potential ceiling effect, limiting sensitivity to anxiety-performance relations.

"In absence of a speed-accuracy trade-off (Table S2), this indicates that math-anxious individuals may respond more slowly without sacrificing accuracy in tasks that are in principle solvable and not too difficult (relatively high accuracy leading to ceiling effects)"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Higher trait math anxiety is associated with slower arithmetic responses, with no significant accuracy cost and no speed-accuracy trade-off — a broader claim this one bears on