Math anxiety has a direct effect on arithmetic calculation above and beyond the indirect pathways¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr1·q3
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? The arithmetic model retained a direct effect of MA on arithmetic calculation beyond the WM and number-processing indirect effects, which the authors attribute to possible distal avoidance behavior. → Skagerlund K 2019
Evidence¶
Skagerlund K 2019¶
Skagerlund K, Östergren R, Västfjäll D, Träff U (2019) How does mathematics anxiety impair mathematical abilities? Investigating the link between math anxiety, working memory, and number processing. PLoS ONE 14(1): e0211283. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211283
q3 · i? · associational · r1
Authors' interpretation of the fitted arithmetic SEM (N = 170 adults): beyond the two significant indirect paths, a direct MA→arithmetic path remained in the model. The direct effect is a model estimate, not an isolated experimental manipulation.
"For arithmetic calculation ability, we find that MA has an indirect effect through both WM and basic number processing as well as a direct effect above and beyond the indirect effects."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Math anxiety has a statistically significant indirect effect on arithmetic calculation through working memory (affective drop pathway) — related
- The relative strength of MA's pathways varies by mathematical task type: WM dominates for numeracy, both WM and number processing operate for arithmetic — a broader claim this one bears on
- Math anxiety has a statistically significant indirect effect on arithmetic calculation through symbolic number processing — related
- Working memory and symbolic number processing are both linked to adult arithmetic and numeracy, replicating prior research — related
- Math anxiety impairs numeracy primarily through working memory, with no significant indirect effect through number processing — related
- Math anxiety has both a direct negative effect and a WM-mediated indirect effect on children's verbal Math Reasoning, but only an indirect effect on Numerical Operations — related
- Higher mathematics test anxiety predicts earlier practice-session exit, mediating lower learning gains in an adaptive math program — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
ma-direct-effect-arithmetic |
title |
Math anxiety has a direct effect on arithmetic calculation above and beyond the indirect pathways |
description |
Math anxiety has a direct effect on arithmetic calculation above and beyond the indirect pathways |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2019 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — skagerlund-k-2019 |
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