Worrying Thoughts Limit Working Memory Capacity in Math Anxiety

Sixty-one high-math-anxious persons and sixty-one low-math-anxious persons completed a modified working memory capacity task, designed to measure working memory capacity under a dysfunctional math-related context and working memory capacity under a valence-neutral context. Participants were required to perform simple tasks with emotionally benign material (i.e., lists of letters) over short intervals while simultaneously reading and making judgments about sentences describing dysfunctional math-related thoughts or sentences describing emotionally-neutral facts about the world. Working memory capacity for letters under the dysfunctional math-related context, relative to working memory capacity performance under the valence-neutral context, was poorer overall in the high-math-anxious group compared with the low-math-anxious group. The findings show a particular difficulty employing working memory in math-related contexts in high-math-anxious participants. Theories that can provide reasonable interpretations for these findings and interventions that can reduce anxiety-induced worrying intrusive thoughts or improve working memory capacity for math anxiety are discussed.本研究招募61名高数学焦虑个体与61名低数学焦虑个体，参与完成一项改良版工作记忆容量（working memory capacity）任务。该任务旨在分别测量个体在功能失调性数学相关情境（dysfunctional math-related context）下的工作记忆容量，以及效价中性情境（valence-neutral context）下的工作记忆容量。实验要求被试在短时间间隔内完成基于情绪中性材料（emotionally benign material，即字母列表）的简单任务，同时需阅读并判断两类句子：一类描述功能失调性数学相关思维，另一类描述关于世界的情绪中性事实。相较于效价中性情境下的工作记忆容量表现，高数学焦虑群体在功能失调性数学相关情境中的字母工作记忆容量整体表现差于低数学焦虑群体。本研究结果表明，高数学焦虑个体在数学相关情境中调用工作记忆时存在特定困难。本文还讨论了可合理解释该发现的相关理论，以及能够缓解焦虑引发的担忧性闯入思维（intrusive thoughts）、或改善数学焦虑者工作记忆容量的干预方案。