Spatialization in working memory and its relation to math anxiety

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1512; no. 1; pp. 192 - 202
• Main Authors: Dijck, Jean‐Philippe, Fias, Wim, Cipora, Krzysztof
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2022
• Subjects: Anxiety; Coders; Cognitive ability; math anxiety; Memory; OPE; order processing; Rumination; Sequences; Short term memory; working memory; order processing; OPE; working memory; math anxiety
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14765

Working memory (WM) is one of the most important cognitive functions that may play a role in the relation between math anxiety (MA) and math performance. The processing efficiency theory proposes that rumination and worrisome thoughts (induced by MA) result in less available WM resources (which are needed to solve math problems). At the same time, high MA individuals have lower verbal and spatial WM capacity in general. Extending these findings, we found that MA is also linked to the spatial coding of serial order in verbal WM: subjects who organize sequences from left‐to‐right in verbal WM show lower levels of MA compared with those who do not spatialize. Furthermore, these spatial coders have higher verbal WM capacity, better numerical order judgment abilities, and higher math scores. These findings suggest that spatially structuring the verbal mind is a promising cognitive correlate of MA and opens new avenues for exploring causal links between elementary cognitive processes and MA. Working memory (WM) is one of the most important cognitive functions that may play a role in the relation between math anxiety (MA) and math performance. In our study, we found that MA is also linked to the spatial coding of serial order in verbal WM: subjects who organize sequences from left‐to‐right in verbal WM show lower levels of MA compared with those who do not spatialize.