Male physics students show significant anxiety–tripartite-network connectivity correlations at pre- and post-instruction, while female students show none¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3 · i2–i3
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 At pre-instruction, male students showed significant positive correlations between STEM anxiety measures and CEN–DMN and DMN–SN connectivity, and a negative correlation between clinical anxiety and SN–CEN; female students showed no significant correlations. → Ariel A. Gonzalez 2019 q3 i3 At post-instruction, male students again showed significant positive correlations (spatial and math anxiety with CEN–DMN and DMN–SN), while female students showed none. → Ariel A. Gonzalez 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Ariel A. Gonzalez 2019¶

Ariel A. Gonzalez, Katherine L. Bottenhorn, Jessica E. Bartley, Timothy Hayes, Michael C. Riedel, Taylor Salo, Elsa I. Bravo, Rosalie Odean, Alina Nazareth, Robert W. Laird, Matthew T. Sutherland, Eric Brewe, Shannon M. Pruden and Angela R. Laird. (2019). Sex differences in brain correlates of STEM anxiety. npj Science of Learning 4:18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0058-9

q3 · i2 · associational · r2

Pearson correlations between inter-network rs-fMRI edge weights and anxiety scores, FDR-controlled at 0.25, computed separately by sex. Male students showed significant positive correlations (e.g., r = 0.311 for science anxiety and DMN–SN); the only negative correlation was clinical anxiety with SN–CEN (r = −0.343).

"At pre-instruction, among female students, there were no signi ficant correlations between any of the anxiety scores and inter-network connectivity. In contrast, male students at pre-instruction exhibited signi ficant correlations between science anxiety and CEN –DMN connectivity r(55) = 0.275, P = 0.042, αFDR = 0.13), science anxiety and DMN –SN ( r = 0.311, P = 0.021, αFDR = 0.10)"

Ariel A. Gonzalez 2019 (2)¶

Ariel A. Gonzalez, Katherine L. Bottenhorn, Jessica E. Bartley, Timothy Hayes, Michael C. Riedel, Taylor Salo, Elsa I. Bravo, Rosalie Odean, Alina Nazareth, Robert W. Laird, Matthew T. Sutherland, Eric Brewe, Shannon M. Pruden and Angela R. Laird. (2019). Sex differences in brain correlates of STEM anxiety. npj Science of Learning 4:18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0058-9

q3 · i3 · associational · r2

The same FDR-controlled correlation analysis at post-instruction found no significant anxiety–connectivity correlations for female students, while male students showed significant positive correlations, e.g., spatial anxiety with DMN–SN (r = 0.435).

"At post-instruction, no signi ficant correlations were observed between anxiety scores and inter-network connectivity for female students. Male students at post-instruction exhibited signi ficant correlations between spatial anxiety and CEN –DMN (r(55) = 0.381, P = 0.004, αFDR = 0.04), spatial anxiety and DMN –SN ( r = 0.435, P = 0.001, αFDR = 0.02)"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — moderator: an instructional effect differs by group

Related Claims¶

• Longitudinal change in spatial anxiety tracks declining SN–CEN connectivity in female students, while change in math anxiety tracks declining SN–CEN connectivity in male students — related
• Anxiety is negatively correlated with physics course grade and GPA in sex-specific patterns at pre- and post-instruction — related
• Post-instruction math anxiety mediates the relation between DMN–SN connectivity and physics course grade in male students — related
• Change in anxiety across the semester is negatively correlated with course grade and GPA for male students but not female students — related
• Female undergraduate physics students report higher science, spatial, math, and clinical anxiety than male students at both pre- and post-instruction — related