Award Date
8-1-2014
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Committee Member
Mark H. Ashcraft
Second Committee Member
David E. Copeland
Third Committee Member
Joel S. Snyder
Fourth Committee Member
Carryn Bellomo Warren
Number of Pages
118
Abstract
Mathematics anxiety is a negative affective reaction to situations involving mathematical thought and is commonly believed to reduce cognitive functioning by impairing the efficient use of working memory resources. The conventional theory describes that the processing disadvantage associated with high levels of math anxiety increasingly impairs performance as working memory demands increase in a math task. Despite this convention, recent reports demonstrate that the high math anxious disadvantage can be measured in tasks that are relatively free of working memory assistance (Maloney, Ansari, & Fugelang, 2011; Maloney, Risko, Ansari, & Fugelsang, 2010). The present study examines these relatively low level effects in college adults. A dual task paradigm was designed to test the engagement of different processing faculties in number comparison (Experiment 1) and enumeration (Experiment 2). The results of the present study mostly replicated the math anxiety effects reported in the literature; however, the dual task settings provide key insight into their interpretation. The results obtained are explained in the context of the Attentional Control Theory (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007), and reasoning is provided for the extension of the math anxiety construct to include components related to attentional control. Finally, implications drawn from this extension are used to explore the interaction between math anxiety and achievement for future research.
Keywords
Attention; Attentional Control; Cognition; Math Anxiety; Mathematics; Working Memory
Disciplines
Cognitive Psychology | Psychology
File Format
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Repository Citation
Moore, Alex Michael, "Dual Task Interference in Low-Level Abilities: The Role of Working Memory and Effects of Mathematics Anxiety" (2014). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2823.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/9419963
Rights
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