Higher math anxious people have a lower need for cognition and are less reflective in their thinking

Higher math anxious people have a lower need for cognition and are less reflective in their thinking

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Title: 

Higher math anxious people have a lower need for cognition and are less reflective in their thinking 

Authors: 

Erin A. Maloney & Fraulein Retanal (2020) 

Journal and DOI: 

Acta psychologica, 202, 102939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.102939 

Previous Research 

We know from previous research that math anxiety leads to lower performance on math tests. We also know that math requires a high degree of cognitive effort. 

What did we ask?  

1. Do high math anxious individuals have a lower need for cognition (inclination towards activities that require cognitive effort)? 

2. Does math anxiety explain the relation between low need for cognition and low math achievement? 

3. Are high math anxious individuals less reflective in their thinking in both math and non-math related reasoning? 

How did we ask it? 

Participants completed measures of math anxiety, general anxiety, math ability, need for cognition, and cognitive reflection (i.e., questioning your intuition and thinking more deliberately). 

What did we find? 

 High math anxious individuals generally dislike tasks that require more cognitive effort.  

Individuals who are low in need for cognition are more likely to be anxious about math and, in turn, perform worse on math tasks.  

Even on tasks unrelated to math, individuals with high math anxiety were less likely to challenge their intuition. 

Why is this important?  

These findings highlight that math anxiety is related to a lower need for cognition and a less-reflective cognitive style (i.e., being less likely to challenge your intuition).  

These findings are important when considering that math anxiety can negatively impact one’s academic career and everyday decision making.  

Educators should encourage students to struggle through complex problems.  

Educators should help reduce student math anxiety through mindfulness-based techniques (e.g., focused breathing). 

Brought to you by Dr. Erin Maloney’s Cognition and Emotion Lab at the University of Ottawa.