scholarly journals Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Mediates the Relation Between “Specific Math Anxiety” and Arithmetic Speed

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuqing Tang ◽  
Yun Su ◽  
Yu'e Yao ◽  
Hugo Peyre ◽  
Ava Guez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Arithmetic Task ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Reading Anxiety ◽  
The Impact

There is a growing consensus that math anxiety highly correlates with trait anxiety and that the emotional component elicited by math anxiety affects math performance. Yet few studies have examined the impact of “specific math anxiety” (high math anxiety and low other kinds of anxiety) on math performance and the underlying physiological and affective mechanism. The present study examines the mediation effect of heart rate variability—an affective measurement indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—in the relationship between specific math anxiety and arithmetic speed. A total of 386 junior high school students completed a self-reported questionnaire to measure their anxiety level. Among this sample, 29 individuals with specific math anxiety (high math anxiety and low reading and trait anxiety), 29 with specific reading anxiety (high reading anxiety and low math and trait anxiety), 24 with specific trait anxiety (high trait anxiety and low math and reading anxiety), and 22 controls (low math, trait and reading anxiety) were selected to participate in an arithmetic task and a reading task while RSA was recorded when they performed the tasks. Results revealed that individuals with specific math anxiety showed lower RSA and longer reaction time than the other three groups in the arithmetic task. Regression and mediation analyses further revealed that RSA mediated the relation between specific math anxiety and arithmetic speed. The present study provides the first account of evidence for the affective hypothesis of specific math anxiety and suggests that affective responses may be an important mechanism underlying the detrimental effect of specific math anxiety on math performance.

scholarly journals Respiratory sinus arrhythmia moderates the impact of maternal prenatal anxiety on infant negative affectivity

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko J. Peltola ◽  
Tiina Mäkelä ◽  
E. Juulia Paavonen ◽  
Elina Vierikko ◽  
Outi Saarenpää-Heikkilä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Negative Affectivity ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Prenatal Anxiety ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Math anxiety and executive function: Neural influences of task switching on arithmetic processing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Nikita Raman ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Negative Thoughts ◽  
Neural Influences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Insight Into

Math anxiety (MA) is associated with negative thoughts and emotions when encountering mathematics, often resulting in under-performance on math tasks. One hypothesized mechanism by which MA affects performance is through anxiety-related increases in working memory (WM) load, diverting resources away from mathematical computations. Here we examine whether this effect is specific to WM, or whether the impact of MA extends to an overall depletion of executive function (EF) resources. In this fMRI experiment, we manipulated two separate factors known to impact EF demands—task-switching (TS) and increased WM load—in order to evaluate how MA relates to behavioral performance and neural activity related to mathematical calculations. Relative to a difficult non-math task (analogies), we observed MA-related deficits in math performance and reduced neural activity in a network of regions in the brain associated with arithmetic processing. In response to TS demands, higher levels of math anxiety were associated with a pattern of avoidance and disengagement. When switching from the control task, high math anxiety (HMA) was associated with disengagement from math trials, speeding through these trials and exhibiting reduced neural activity in regions associated with arithmetic processing. The effects of math anxiety and WM were most pronounced at the lowest levels of WM load. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the effects of MA are broader than previously demonstrated, and provide further insight into how EF deficits in MA might impact recruitment of neural resources that are important for successful math computations.

scholarly journals The impact of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on math anxiety in adolescents

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
April LaGue ◽  
Gene Eakin ◽  
Cass Dykeman
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Cognitive Therapy ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
School Students ◽  
Single Subject Research ◽  
Anxiety Measurement ◽  
The Impact

In this nonconcurrent, multiple-baseline, single-subject research study, the authors conducted a preliminary exploration of whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can be expanded to the treatment of math anxiety. Three high school students who were assessed with high levels of math anxiety met individually twice a week for 6 weeks with the school counselor who used a manualized MBCT treatment for anxiety as the intervention. A weekly administration of a math anxiety measurement tool showed a decrease in math anxiety for all three participants.

scholarly journals Math Performance and Academic Anxiety Forms, from Sociodemographic to Cognitive Aspects: a Meta-analysis on 906,311 Participants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Caviola ◽  
Enrico Toffalini ◽  
David Giofrè ◽  
Jessica Mercader Ruiz ◽  
Dénes Szűcs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe relationship between anxiety and mathematics has often been investigated in the literature. Different forms of anxiety have been evaluated, with math anxiety (MA) and test anxiety (TA) consistently being associated with various aspects of mathematics. In this meta-analysis, we have evaluated the impact of these forms of anxiety, distinguishing between different types of mathematical tasks. In investigating this relationship, we have also included potential moderators, such as age, gender, working memory, type of task, and type of material. One hundred seventy-seven studies met the inclusion criteria, providing an overall sample of 906,311 participants. Results showed that both MA and TA had a significant impact on mathematics. Sociodemographic factors had modest moderating effects. Working memory (WM) also mediated the relationship between MA and TA with mathematics; however, this indirect effect was weak. Theoretical and educational implications, as well as future directions for research in this field, are discussed.

scholarly journals The Influence of Emotion Regulation on Arousal and Performance in Math Anxiety

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
Math Task ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
The Impact

Interventions targeting anxious emotion may be efficacious in reducing the negative impact of stress on mathematics performance. However, different regulation strategies may have different effects on arousal, which in turn may have different effects on task performance. In the present study, we recorded skin conductance levels in order to examine the effect of arousal on performance during different applied emotion regulation strategies. In particular, we were interested in how these emotion regulation strategies might affect the negative performance deficits attributed to anxious arousal in math anxious individuals. Participants were instructed to use cognitive reappraisal (distancing oneself from the stressful math task by thinking objectively about the problem in a low-stakes scenario), expressive suppression (maintaining a neutral emotional expression), or their own problem-solving technique (control). We recorded electrodermal activity (EDA), measuring skin conductance responses during each trial. Results indicate that HMA individuals show worse performance on the math task as well as increased sympathetic arousal (EDA) during the unregulated control condition for math. Notably, this arousal was reduced by reappraisal but exacerbated by suppression. Further, for both HMA and LMA groups, reappraisal reduced the impact of arousal on task accuracy, indicating that even elevated arousal levels no longer had a negative impact on math performance. Overall, these results show that reappraisal provides a promising technique for ameliorating the negative influence of math anxiety on math performance.

scholarly journals Lack of association between heart period variability asymmetry and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in healthy and chronic heart failure individuals

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247145
Author(s):  
Beatrice De Maria ◽  
Laura Adelaide Dalla Vecchia ◽  
Roberto Maestri ◽  
Gian Domenico Pinna ◽  
Monica Parati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Chronic Heart Failure ◽  
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Nyha Class ◽  
Respiratory Pattern ◽  
Heart Period ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
The Impact

Temporal asymmetry is a peculiar aspect of heart period (HP) variability (HPV). HPV asymmetry (HPVA) is reduced with aging and pathology, but its origin is not fully elucidated. Given the impact of respiration on HPV resulting in the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the asymmetric shape of the respiratory pattern, a possible link between HPVA and RSA might be expected. In this study we tested the hypothesis that HPVA is significantly associated with RSA and asymmetry of the respiratory rhythm. We studied 42 middle-aged healthy (H) subjects, and 56 chronic heart failure (CHF) patients of whom 26 assigned to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II (CHF-II) and 30 to NYHA class III (CHF-III). Electrocardiogram and lung volume were monitored for 8 minutes during spontaneous breathing (SB) and controlled breathing (CB) at 15 breaths/minute. The ratio of inspiratory (INSP) to expiratory (EXP) phases, namely the I/E ratio, and RSA were calculated. HPVA was estimated as the percentage of negative HP variations, traditionally measured via the Porta’s index (PI). Departures of PI from 50% indicated HPVA and its significance was tested via surrogate data. We found that RSA increased during CB and I/E ratio was smaller than 1 in all groups and experimental conditions. In H subjects the PI was about 50% during SB and it increased significantly during CB. In both CHF-II and CHF-III groups the PI was about 50% during SB and remained unmodified during CB. The PI was uncorrelated with RSA and I/E ratio regardless of the experimental condition and group. Pooling together data of different experimental conditions did not affect conclusions. Therefore, we conclude that the HPVA cannot be explained by RSA and/or I/E ratio, thus representing a peculiar feature of the cardiac control that can be aroused in middle-aged H individuals via CB.

Incoherent oscillations of respiratory sinus arrhythmia during acute mental stress in humans

2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (1) ◽  
pp. H359-H367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyuichi Niizeki ◽  
Tadashi Saitoh
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽  
Mental Stress ◽  
Phase Synchronization ◽  
Mental Arithmetic ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Phase Lag ◽  
Arithmetic Task ◽  
Sinus Arrhythmia

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been widely used as a measure of the cardiac vagal control in response to stress. However, RSA seems not to be a generalized indicator because of its dependency on respiratory parameter and individual variations of RSA amplitude (ARSA). We hypothesized that phase-lag variations between RSA and respiration may serve as a normalized index of the degree of mental stress. Twenty healthy volunteers performed mental arithmetic task (ART) after 5 min of resting control followed by 5 min of recovery. Breathing pattern, beat-to-beat R-R intervals, and blood pressure (BP) were determined using inductance plethysmography, electrocardiography, and a Finapres device, respectively. The analytic signals of breathing and RSA were obtained by Hilbert transform and the degree of phase synchronization (λ) was quantified. With the use of spectral analysis, heart rate variability (HRV) was estimated for the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands. A steady-state 3-min resting period (REST), the first 3 min (ART1), and the last 3 min (ART2) of the ART period (ranged from 6- to 19 min) and the last 3 min of the recovery period (RCV) were analyzed separately. Heart rate, systolic BP, and breathing frequency (fR) increased and λ, ARSA, and HF power decreased from REST to ART ( P < 0.01). The λ was correlated with normalized ARSA and the HF power. The decrease in λ could not be explained solely by the increase in fR. We conclude that mental stress exerts an influence on RSA oscillations, inducing incoherent phase lag with respect to breathing, in addition to a decrease in RSA.

scholarly journals The impact of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on math anxiety in adolescents

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
April LaGue ◽  
Gene Eakin ◽  
Cass Dykeman
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Cognitive Therapy ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
School Students ◽  
Single Subject Research ◽  
Anxiety Measurement ◽  
The Impact

In this nonconcurrent, multiple-baseline, single-subject research study, the authors conducted a preliminary exploration of whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can be expanded to the treatment of math anxiety. Three high school students who were assessed with high levels of math anxiety met individually twice a week for 6 weeks with the school counselor who used a manualized MBCT treatment for anxiety as the intervention. A weekly administration of a math anxiety measurement tool showed a decrease in math anxiety for all three participants.

scholarly journals Table of Contents

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Table of Contents
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Physics Education ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Northern Cyprus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Teaching Physics

<p>From the Editors</p><p><em>Huseyin Uzunboylu, Cigdem Hursen</em></p><p> </p><p>Analysing the problems of science teachers that they encounter while teaching physics education</p><p><em>Cihat Demir, Burhan Sincar, Rıdvan Çelik</em></p><p><em>296-304</em></p><p> </p><p>An investigation into the impact of reflective teaching on EFL learners’ autonomy and intrinsic motivation</p><p><em>Parisa Abdolrezapour, Elahe Fallah</em></p><p><em>305-315</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p>Awareness of consequence of high school students on loss of bio-diversity</p><p><em>Nazım Kaşot, Serap Özbaş</em></p><p><em>316-325</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p>Research on historical environments in elementary schools’ social sciences textbooks taught in Northern Cyprus</p><p><em>Nazım Kaşot, Mete Özsezer</em></p><p><em>326-337</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p>Metacognitive awareness and math anxiety in gifted students</p><p><em>Hakan Sarıcam, Üzeyir Ogurlu</em></p><p><em>338-348</em></p>

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