Math Anxiety: Personal, Educational, and Cognitive Consequences

Current Directions in Psychological
Science
http://cdp.sagepub.com/

Math Anxiety: Personal, Educational, and Cognitive Consequences
Mark H. Ashcraft
Current Directions in Psychological Science 2002 11: 181
DOI: 10.1111/1467-8721.00196
The online version of this article can be found at: http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/11/5/181 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of:

Association for Psychological Science

Additional services and information for Current Directions in Psychological Science can be found at:
Email Alerts: http://cdp.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts
Subscriptions: http://cdp.sagepub.com/subscriptions
Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav
Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav

>> Version of Record - Oct 1, 2002
What is This?

Downloaded from cdp.sagepub.com at Universitas Pendidikan Indone on September 14, 2014

CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Math Anxiety: Personal, Educational, and Cognitive Consequences

181

mathematical equivalent of literacy
(Paulos, 1988).

Mark H. Ashcraft1
MATH ANXIETY DEFINED
AND MEASURED

Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio

Abstract
Highly math-anxious individuals are characterized by a strong tendency to avoid math, which ultimately undercuts their math competence and forecloses important career paths. But timed, on-line tests reveal math-anxiety effects on whole-number arithmetic problems (e.g., 46 ϩ 27), whereas achievement tests show no competence differences. Math anxiety disrupts cognitive processing by compromising ongoing activity in working memory. Although the causes of math anxiety are undetermined, some teaching styles are implicated as risk factors. We need research on the origins of math anxiety and on its “signature” in brain activity, to examine both its emotional and its cognitive components. Keywords anxiety; mental arithmetic; math competence; working memory; problem solving

My graduate assistant recently
told

References: Ashcraft, M.H. (1995). Cognitive psychology and simple arithmetic: A review and summary of Ashcraft, M.H., & Faust, M.W. (1994). Mathematics anxiety and mental arithmetic performance: An exploratory investigation. Cognition and Emotion, 8, 97–125. Ashcraft, M.H., & Kirk, E.P. (2001). The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance Ashcraft, M.H., Kirk, E.P., & Hopko, D. (1998). On the cognitive consequences of mathematics Dehaene, S. (1997). The number sense: How the mind creates mathematics Eysenck, M.W., & Calvo, M.G. (1992). Anxiety and performance: The processing efficiency theory. Faust, M.W. (1992). Analysis of physiological reactivity in mathematics anxiety. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Faust, M.W., Ashcraft, M.H., & Fleck, D.E. (1996). Fennema, E. (1989). The study of affect and mathematics: A proposed generic model for research. In D.B. McLeod & V.M. Adams (Eds.), Affect and mathematical problem solving: A new Geary, D.C. (1994). Children’s mathematical development: Research and practical applications. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Hembree, R. (1990). The nature, effects, and relief of mathematics anxiety Downloaded from cdp.sagepub.com at Universitas Pendidikan Indone on September 14, 2014 CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE K.J., & Lewis, C. (1998). Mathematics anxiety and working memory: Support for the existence of a deficient inhibition mechanism Paulos, J.A. (1988). Innumeracy: Mathematical illiter- acy and its consequences Richardson, F.C., & Suinn, R.M. (1972). The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19, 551–554. (2002). The classroom environment and students’ reports of avoidance strategies in mathematics: A multimethod study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 88–106. Copyright © 2002 American Psychological Society Downloaded from cdp.sagepub.com at Universitas Pendidikan Indone on September 14, 2014