Exploratory analyses suggest heightened state math anxiety in production paradigms stems from fear of making mistakes rather than response times¶

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

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Higher state math anxiety was associated with lower accuracy in production compared to decision paradigms, but not with response time. → Yao 2026

Evidence¶

Yao 2026¶

Yao, X., Huber, J.F., Li, Z., Findik, Y., Nuerk, H.-C. & Artemenko, C. (2026). The dynamics of state math anxiety vary by paradigm and timing during arithmetic. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00398-z

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Complementary exploratory correlational analysis reported in Table S4 of the same study. The article reports the association with accuracy "but not with response time", interpreting it as emotional tension arising from concerns about correctness and error likelihood in open response formats.

"higher levels of state math anxiety were associated with lower accuracy in production compared to decision paradigms but not with response time (Table S 4)"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Production paradigms elicit higher state math anxiety than decision paradigms, particularly for individuals with high trait math anxiety — related
• Higher trait math anxiety is associated with slower arithmetic responses, with no significant accuracy cost and no speed-accuracy trade-off — related
• HMA individuals show heightened sensitivity to task difficulty but not reward in drift-diffusion modeling of math decisions — related