Problem-Solving among Math Anxious Individuals: The Role of Advanced Strategy and Testing of Online Anxiety

Abstract

Math anxiety (MA) is negatively associated with math performance. To explore the role of online or stable MA in advanced strategy use, 52 college students solved verbal multiple-choice mathematical problems. MA was negatively related to advanced strategy use. Online anxiety and advanced strategy use were unique predictors of accuracy. Using mediation analysis, we discovered that advanced strategy uses partially mediated the relation between MA and math performance. The results show that the selection of a non-advanced strategy is one of the cognitive processes that explained the negative relation between MA and performance, and that MA has a strong contextual component.