The detrimental effect of math anxiety on math performance is thought to be mediated by executive functions. Previous studies have primarily focused on trait-math anxiety rather than state-math anxiety and have typically examined a single executive function rather than comprehensively evaluating all of them. Here, we used a structural equation modeling approach to concurrently determine the potential mediating roles of different executive functions (i.e., inhibition, switching, and updating) in the relationships between both state- and trait-math anxiety and math performance. A battery of computer-based tasks and questionnaires were administered to 205 university students. Two relevant results emerged. First, confirmatory factor analysis suggests that math anxiety encompassed both trait and state dimensions and, although they share substantial variance, trait-math anxiety predicted math performance over and above state-math anxiety. Second, working memory updating was the only executive function that mediated the relationship between math anxiety and math performance; neither inhibition nor switching played mediating roles. This calls into question whether some general proposals about the relationship between anxiety and executive functions can be extended specifically to math anxiety. We also raise the possibility that working memory updating or general cognitive difficulties might precede individual differences in math anxiety.

中文翻译：

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执行功能在状态和特质数学焦虑与数学成绩关系中的作用


数学焦虑对数学成绩的不利影响被认为是由执行功能调节的。以前的研究主要关注特质数学焦虑而不是状态数学焦虑，并且通常检查单个执行功能而不是全面评估所有执行功能。在这里，我们使用结构方程建模方法来同时确定不同执行功能（即抑制、转换和更新）在状态和特质数学焦虑与数学表现之间关系中的潜在中介作用。对 205 名大学生进行了一系列基于计算机的任务和问卷调查。出现了两个相关结果。首先，验证性因素分析表明，数学焦虑包含特质和状态维度，尽管它们存在很大差异，但特质数学焦虑比状态数学焦虑更能预测数学表现。其次，工作记忆更新是调节数学焦虑和数学成绩之间关系的唯一执行功能。抑制和转换均不起中介作用。这就让人质疑一些关于焦虑和执行功能之间关系的一般建议是否可以专门扩展到数学焦虑。我们还提出了一种可能性，即工作记忆更新或一般认知困难可能先于数学焦虑的个体差异。