Negative priming effects are generally larger in mathematics than in language or science, particularly in arithmetic tasks¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across the 23 negative priming experiments, larger NP effects are generally observed in mathematics (M = 216 ms), particularly in arithmetic tasks (M = 537 ms), where word problems and proportional reasoning tend to yield higher effects. → Élisabeth Bélanger 2026

Evidence¶

Élisabeth Bélanger 2026¶

Élisabeth Bélanger, Marine Moyon, Lorie-Marlène Brault Foisy, Steve Masson. (2026). Primary School Learning Topics Involving Inhibitory Control: A Scoping Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10198-5

q2 · i? · review · r2

Exploratory synthesis of negative priming magnitudes across school subjects (Table 2), comparing 23 NP-paradigm experiments. The authors report "larger NP effects are generally observed in mathematics (M = 216), particularly in arithmetic tasks (M = 537)"; language M = 126 ms and science M = 71 ms appear in Table 2.

"larger NP effects are generally observed in mathematics (M = 216), particularly in arithmetic tasks (M = 537), where word problems and proportional reasoning tend to yield higher effects."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Experimental evidence consistent with inhibitory control involvement spans primary school learning topics primarily in mathematics, but also science and language — related
• Children with developmental dyscalculia respond faster to simple arithmetic targets after negative than positive affective primes, across all four arithmetic operations — related
• A significant three-way interaction of group, prime type and arithmetic operation governs arithmetic-affective priming, with DD children slower overall than controls — related
• Typically-developing children show the standard affective priming pattern, responding faster to arithmetic targets after positive than negative primes — related