Under high task difficulty, HMA individuals accept significantly fewer math problem challenges than LMA individuals, with no group difference under low difficulty¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Under high task difficulty HMA individuals accepted significantly fewer math problem challenges than LMA individuals (odd ratio = 7.44, p = 0.003), while under low task difficulty the group effect was not significant (odd ratio = 2.20, p = 0.272). → Jie Liu 2025

Evidence¶

Jie Liu 2025¶

Jie Liu, Zhifeng Li, Jiawang Yang, Hao He & Fang Cui. (2025). The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people. npj Science of Learning 10:50. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00343-0

q3 · i? · associational · r2

GLME analysis of accept/reject choices in the fMRI approach-avoid conflict study of 61 participants (31 LMA, 30 HMA after exclusions). Post-hoc tests showed "for low task difficulty, the group effect was not significant" but "HMA accepted significant fewer math problem challenges" under high difficulty (odd ratio = 7.44, p = 0.003).

"Post-hoc comparison revealed that for low task difficulty, the group effect was not significant (odd ratio =2 . 2 0 ,SE = 1.59, z = 1.10, p =0 . 2 7 2 ) , while for high task difficulty, HMA accepted significant fewer math problem challenges (odd ratio = 7.44, SE = 4.95, z = 3.02, p = 0.003)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Functional connectivity among six task-difficulty-sensitive ROIs classifies HMA versus LMA individuals at 70.49% accuracy, with PI–MCC, HPC–precuneus and TPJ–NAc edges most diagnostic — related
• HMA individuals show weaker brain activation discrepancy between high and low task difficulty than LMA peers in valuation and cognitive control regions — related
• HMA individuals show heightened sensitivity to task difficulty but not reward in drift-diffusion modeling of math decisions — related
• Task difficulty sensitivity mediates the relationship between math anxiety and math avoidance tendency
• Math avoidance motivation is independent of actual math performance, with subjective estimation of task difficulty the primary influencing factor