Math anxiety impairs numeracy primarily through working memory, with no significant indirect effect through number processing¶
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? In the numeracy model, MA had a statistically significant indirect effect on numeracy via working memory (standardized estimate = -.14, p = .004) but not via number processing (p = .807). → 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
Confirmatory SEM path analysis of numeracy (Berlin Numeracy Test) in 170 Swedish adults, estimated in Mplus 7. The model showed good fit (χ2 = 44.57 (32), p = .069, CFI = .97, RMSEA = 0.05) and "explained 29% of the variance in numeracy". The MA→WM→numeracy path was significant; the MA→NP→numeracy path was not.
"The path from math anxiety via working memory had a statistically significant indirect effect to numeracy (p = .004, standardized estimate = -.14) but not a significant indirect effect via NP to numeracy (p = .807)."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Math anxiety has a statistically significant indirect effect on arithmetic calculation through symbolic number processing — related
- 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
- Working memory and symbolic number processing are both linked to adult arithmetic and numeracy, replicating prior research — related
- Math anxiety has a direct effect on arithmetic calculation above and beyond the indirect pathways — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
ma-wm-pathway-numeracy |
title |
Math anxiety impairs numeracy primarily through working memory, with no significant indirect effect through number processing |
description |
Math anxiety impairs numeracy primarily through working memory, with no significant indirect effect through number processing |
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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