Math anxiety correlates weakly with working memory (r = −.18), and WM's mediating role between anxiety and math achievement is negligible¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r3 · q4 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i1 Math anxiety correlates weakly with overall working memory measures (r = −.18). → Caviola 2022 q4 i? The indirect effect of anxiety on math achievement via WM is negligible: non-significant in the random-effects strategy (B ≤ .05) and negligible in the Monte Carlo strategy. → Caviola 2022 (2)

Evidence¶

Caviola 2022¶

Caviola, S., Toffalini, E., Giofrè, D., Mercader Ruiz, J., Szűcs, D., & Mammarella, I. C. (2022). Math Performance and Academic Anxiety Forms, from Sociodemographic to Cognitive Aspects: a Meta-analysis on 906,311 Participants. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09618-5

q4 · i1 · quant-synthesis · r3

Random-effects meta-analysis of MA–WM correlations (23 studies, 24 independent samples, 2,695 participants). The pooled correlation was "relatively weak" at r = −.18, with medium heterogeneity (I2 = 61%).

"Finally, a negative relationship emerged between MA and overall WM measures, although this link was relatively weak, r = − .18 [− .24, − .13; p < .001]."

Caviola 2022 (2)¶

Caviola, S., Toffalini, E., Giofrè, D., Mercader Ruiz, J., Szűcs, D., & Mammarella, I. C. (2022). Math Performance and Academic Anxiety Forms, from Sociodemographic to Cognitive Aspects: a Meta-analysis on 906,311 Participants. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09618-5

q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r?

Meta-analytic mediation (meta-path analysis) using two strategies: random-effects models on 15 complete MA samples and 6 TA samples, plus a Monte Carlo simulation (10,000 iterations). Indirect effects via WM were "non-significant and negligible" (B ≤ .05); the Monte Carlo estimates were significant but negligible.

"As can be seen, these indirect effects were all non-significant and negligible in terms of magnitude (B ≤ .05 for all samples) for both MA and TA."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Academic Anxiety — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Affect Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Test anxiety correlates weakly with working memory (r = −.18), with a much stronger correlation for spatial than verbal material — related
• Working memory fully mediates the effects of math anxiety and attention on children's non-verbal Numerical Operations — reports the opposite
• Math anxiety partially mediates the relation between attention problems and both math outcomes — 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 — reports the opposite