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Zhou Q, Gidziela A, Allegrini AG, Cheesman R, Wertz J, Maxwell J, Plomin R, Rimfeld K, Malanchini M. Gene-environment correlation: the role of family environment in academic development. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02716-0. [PMID: 39232197 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02716-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
Academic achievement is partly heritable and highly polygenic. However, genetic effects on academic achievement are not independent of environmental processes. We investigated whether aspects of the family environment mediated genetic effects on academic achievement across development. Our sample included 5151 children who participated in the Twins Early Development Study, as well as their parents and teachers. Data on academic achievement and family environments (parenting, home environments, and geocoded indices of neighbourhood characteristics) were available at ages 7, 9, 12 and 16. We computed educational attainment polygenic scores (PGS) and further separated genetic effects into cognitive and noncognitive PGS. Three core findings emerged. First, aspects of the family environment, but not the wider neighbourhood context, consistently mediated the PGS effects on achievement across development-accounting for up to 34.3% of the total effect. Family characteristics mattered beyond socio-economic status. Second, family environments were more robustly linked to noncognitive PGS effects on academic achievement than cognitive PGS effects. Third, when we investigated whether environmental mediation effects could also be observed when considering differences between siblings, adjusting for family fixed effects, we found that environmental mediation was nearly exclusively observed between families. This is consistent with the proposition that family environmental contexts contribute to academic development via passive gene-environment correlation processes or genetic nurture. Our results show how parents tend to shape environments that foster their children's academic development partly based on their own genetic disposition, particularly towards noncognitive skills, rather than responding to each child's genetic disposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Zhou
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
| | - Agnieszka Gidziela
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Andrea G Allegrini
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jasmin Wertz
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jessye Maxwell
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Robert Plomin
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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2
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Malanchini M, Allegrini AG, Nivard MG, Biroli P, Rimfeld K, Cheesman R, von Stumm S, Demange PA, van Bergen E, Grotzinger AD, Raffington L, De la Fuente J, Pingault JB, Tucker-Drob EM, Harden KP, Plomin R. Genetic associations between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement over development. Nat Hum Behav 2024:10.1038/s41562-024-01967-9. [PMID: 39187715 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01967-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and self-regulation, are partly heritable and predict academic achievement beyond cognitive skills. However, how the relationship between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement changes over development is unclear. The current study examined how cognitive and non-cognitive skills are associated with academic achievement from ages 7 to 16 years in a sample of over 10,000 children from England and Wales. The results showed that the association between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement increased across development. Twin and polygenic scores analyses found that the links between non-cognitive genetics and academic achievement became stronger over the school years. The results from within-family analyses indicated that non-cognitive genetic effects on academic achievement could not simply be attributed to confounding by environmental differences between nuclear families, consistent with a possible role for evocative/active gene-environment correlations. By studying genetic associations through a developmental lens, we provide further insights into the role of non-cognitive skills in academic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Andrea G Allegrini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK.
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Michel G Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pietro Biroli
- Department of Economics, Universita' di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
- Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Perline A Demange
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Mental Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Mental Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Andrew D Grotzinger
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Laurel Raffington
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial-Biology, Social Disparities and Development, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Javier De la Fuente
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Robert Plomin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
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Malanchini M, Allegrini AG, Nivard MG, Biroli P, Rimfeld K, Cheesman R, von Stumm S, Demange PA, van Bergen E, Grotzinger AD, Raffington L, De la Fuente J, Pingault JB, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM, Plomin R. Genetic contributions of noncognitive skills to academic development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.03.535380. [PMID: 37066409 PMCID: PMC10103958 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.03.535380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Noncognitive skills such as motivation and self-regulation, are partly heritable and predict academic achievement beyond cognitive skills. However, how the relationship between noncognitive skills and academic achievement changes over development is unclear. The current study examined how cognitive and noncognitive skills contribute to academic achievement from ages 7 to 16 in a sample of over 10,000 children from England and Wales. Noncognitive skills were increasingly predictive of academic achievement across development. Twin and polygenic scores analyses found that the contribution of noncognitive genetics to academic achievement became stronger over the school years. Results from within-family analyses indicated that associations with noncognitive genetics could not simply be attributed to confounding by environmental differences between nuclear families and are consistent with a possible role for evocative/active gene-environment correlations. By studying genetic effects through a developmental lens, we provide novel insights into the role of noncognitive skills in academic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea G. Allegrini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Michel G. Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pietro Biroli
- Department of Economics, Universita’ di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- Royal Holloway University of London, United Kingdom
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Perline A. Demange
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Andrew D. Grotzinger
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
| | - Laurel Raffington
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial – Biology, Social Disparities, and Development; Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | | | - Robert Plomin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Malanchini M, Allegrini AG, Nivard MG, Biroli P, Rimfeld K, Cheesman R, von Stumm S, Demange PA, van Bergen E, Grotzinger AD, Raffington L, De la Fuente J, Pingault JB, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM, Plomin R. Genetic contributions of noncognitive skills to academic development. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2775994. [PMID: 37066329 PMCID: PMC10104246 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2775994/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Noncognitive skills such as motivation and self-regulation, predict academic achievement beyond cognitive skills. However, the role of genetic and environmental factors and of their interplay in these developmental associations remains unclear. We provide a comprehensive account of how cognitive and noncognitive skills contribute to academic achievement from ages 7 to 16 in a sample of >10,000 children from England and Wales. Results indicated that noncognitive skills become increasingly predictive of academic achievement across development. Triangulating genetic methods, including twin analyses and polygenic scores (PGS), we found that the contribution of noncognitive genetics to academic achievement becomes stronger over development. The PGS for noncognitive skills predicted academic achievement developmentally, with prediction nearly doubling by age 16, pointing to gene-environment correlation (rGE). Within-family analyses indicated both passive and active/evocative rGE processes driven by noncognitive genetics. By studying genetic effects through a developmental lens, we provide novel insights into the role of noncognitive skills in academic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea G Allegrini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Michel G Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pietro Biroli
- Department of Economics, Universita' di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
- Royal Holloway University of London, United Kingdom
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Perline A Demange
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Andrew D Grotzinger
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
| | - Laurel Raffington
- Max Planck Research Group Biosocial - Biology, Social Disparities, and Development; Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - K Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | | | - Robert Plomin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
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5
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Broda MD, Ross E, Sorhagen N, Ekholm E. Exploring control-value motivational profiles of mathematics anxiety, self-concept, and interest in adolescents. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1140924. [PMID: 37139007 PMCID: PMC10150705 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1140924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we identified multidimensional profiles in students' math anxiety, math self-concept, and math interest using data from a large generalizable sample of 16,547 9th grade students in the United States who participated in the National Study of Learning Mindsets. We also analyzed the extent that students' profile memberships are associated with related measures such as prior mathematics achievement, academic stress, and challenge-seeking behavior. Five multidimensional profiles were identified: two profiles which demonstrated relatively high levels of interest and self-concept, along with low math anxiety, in line with the tenets of the control-value theory of academic emotions (C-VTAE); two profiles which demonstrated relatively low levels of interest and self-concept, and high levels of math anxiety (again in accordance with C-VTAE); and one profile, comprising more than 37% of the total sample, which demonstrated medium levels of interest, high levels of self-concept, and medium levels of anxiety. All five profiles varied significantly from one another in their association with the distal variables of challenge seeking behavior, prior mathematics achievement, and academic stress. This study contributes to the literature on math anxiety, self-concept, and interest by identifying and validating student profiles that mainly align with the control-value theory of academic emotions in a large, generalizable sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Broda
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Michael D. Broda,
| | - Erica Ross
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | | | - Eric Ekholm
- Chesterfield County Public Schools, Chesterfield, VA, United States
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6
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Abstract
Math anxiety affects many people, from young children through to older adults. While there has been debate concerning the developmental trajectory of math anxiety and negative math attitudes, little attention has been given to the role of appraisals of previous math experiences. We surveyed 308 adults (mean age = 27.56 years, SD = 11.25) and assessed self-reported measures of math anxiety, mathematical resilience, math attitudes, and appraisal of previous math experiences. As hypothesized, all variables were found to be interrelated. Math anxiety was significantly negatively related to appraisal of previous math experiences, mathematical resilience, and math attitudes. Moreover, appraisal of previous math experiences was shown to mediate the relations between (1) math anxiety and math attitudes, and (2) mathematical resilience and math attitudes. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering current appraisals of previous math experiences and are consistent with an interpretation account of math anxiety. This may help inform cognitive-based interventions that focus on one's interpretation of past events to support current and future math learning and engagement.
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7
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Vogt RL, Zheng A, Briley DA, Malanchini M, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM. Genetic and Environmental Factors of Non-Ability-Based Confidence. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2022; 13:734-746. [PMID: 39006758 PMCID: PMC11244733 DOI: 10.1177/19485506211036610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Non-ability-based confidence is confidence in one's ability that is not calibrated to actual ability. Here, we examine what psychological factors are associated with possessing more or less confidence relative to one's ability and to what extent genetic and environmental processes contribute to these links. Using data from the Texas Twin Project (N = 1,588 participants, aged 7-15 years), we apply a latent variable residual approach to calculate non-ability-based confidence as self-rated confidence net of ability on standardized cognitive tests. Non-ability-based confidence was modestly heritable (9%-28%) and strongly positively correlated with the need for cognition, mastery goal orientation, grit, openness, and emotional stability. These correlations were partly mediated by genetic factors (57% of the association on average). This widespread pattern of associations between non-ability-based confidence and several other measures of thinking, feeling, and acting suggest that non-ability-based confidence can be conceptualized as a personality attribute.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anqing Zheng
- University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, IL, USA
| | | | | | - K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Mathematics and Numerosity but Not Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Correlate with Mathematical Anxiety in Adults. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12040422. [PMID: 35447954 PMCID: PMC9029128 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12040422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Many individuals, when faced with mathematical tasks or situations requiring arithmetic skills, experience exaggerated levels of anxiety. Mathematical anxiety (MA), in addition to causing discomfort, can lead to avoidance behaviors and then to underachievement. However, the factors inducing MA and how MA deploys its detrimental effects are still largely debated. There is evidence suggesting that MA affects working memory capacity by further diminishing its limited processing resources. An alternative account postulates that MA originates from a coarse early numerical cognition capacity, the perception of numerosity. In the current study, we measured MA, math abilities, numerosity perception and visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) in a sample of neurotypical adults. Correlational analyses confirmed previous studies showing that high MA was associated with lower math scores and worse numerosity estimation precision. Conversely, MA turned out to be unrelated to VSWM capacities. Finally, partial correlations revealed that MA fully accounted for the relationship between numerosity estimation precision and math abilities, suggesting a key role for MA as a mediating factor between these two domains.
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Math Anxiety Is Related to Math Difficulties and Composed of Emotion Regulation and Anxiety Predisposition: A Network Analysis Study. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11121609. [PMID: 34942911 PMCID: PMC8699086 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11121609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Current evidence suggests emotion regulation is an important factor in both math anxiety and math performance, but the interplay between these constructs is unexamined. Given the multicomponent structure of math anxiety, emotion regulation, and math performance, here, we aimed to provide a comprehensive model of the underlying nature of the links between these latent variables. Using the innovative network analysis approach, the study visualized the underlying links between directly observable and measurable variables that might be masked by traditional statistical approaches. One hundred and seventeen adults completed a battery of tests and questionnaires on math anxiety, emotion regulation, and math performance. The results revealed: (1) state math anxiety (the emotional experience in math-related situations), rather than trait math anxiety, was linked to anxiety predisposition, subjective valence of math information, and difficulties in emotion regulation; (2) the link between state math anxiety and math performance partialed out the link between trait math anxiety and performance. The study innovatively demonstrates the need to differentiate between traits and tendencies to the actual emotional experience and emotion regulation used in math anxiety. The results have important implications for the theoretical understanding of math anxiety and future discussions and work in the field.
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Suárez-Pellicioni M, Demir-Lira ÖE, Booth JR. Neurocognitive mechanisms explaining the role of math attitudes in predicting children's improvement in multiplication skill. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:917-935. [PMID: 33954927 PMCID: PMC8455431 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00906-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Enhancing student's math achievement is a significant educational challenge. Numerous studies have shown that math attitudes can predict improvement in math performance, but no study has yet revealed the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms explaining this effect. To answer this question, 50 children underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) when they were 11 (time 1; T1) and 13 (time 2; T2) years old. Children solved a rhyming judgment and a single-digit multiplication task inside the scanner at T1. The rhyming task was used to independently define a verbal region of interest in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). We focused on this region because of previous evidence showing math attitudes-related effects in the left IFG for children with low math skill (Demir-Lira et al., 2019). Children completed standardized testing of math attitudes at T1 and of multiplication skill both at T1 and T2. We performed a cluster-wise regression analysis to investigate the interaction between math attitudes and improvement in multiplication skill over time while controlling for the main effects of these variables, intelligence, and accuracy on the task. This analysis revealed a significant interaction in the left IFG, which was due to improvers with positive math attitudes showing enhanced activation. Our result suggests that IFG activation, possibly reflecting effort invested in retrieving multiplication facts, is one of the possible neurocognitive mechanism by which children with positive math attitudes improve in multiplication skill. Our finding suggests that teachers and parents can help children do better in math by promoting positive math attitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Suárez-Pellicioni
- Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, University of Alabama, 270 Kilgore Ln, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.
| | - Ö Ece Demir-Lira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, DeLTA Center, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - James R Booth
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Co-development of math anxiety, math self-concept, and math value in adolescence: The roles of parents and math teachers. CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.102016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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12
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Numbers (but not words) make math anxious individuals sweat: Physiological evidence. Biol Psychol 2021; 165:108187. [PMID: 34492332 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The study aimed to determine the specificity of math anxiety by measuring physiological arousal to the presentation of numerical and non-numerical stimuli. It also investigated whether math and trait anxieties share similar behavioral and physiological manifestations. Fifty-two female university students performed an experimental task including simple or complex arithmetical equations and math-related or neutral words. Participants' electrodermal activity (skin conductance response) was monitored during the task. Math and trait anxieties were measured using common explicit questionnaires. Results showed math anxiety levels were significantly related to physiological arousal during the performance of complex numerical tasks. Importantly, math anxiety significantly mediated the links between trait anxiety and physiological arousal in complex numerical tasks. The findings support previous work finding relations between math and trait anxieties, but also show math anxiety is a unique phenomenon with specific behavioral and physiological manifestations, especially during the processing of complex numerical information.
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Xiao F, Sun L. Students' Motivation and Affection Profiles and Their Relation to Mathematics Achievement, Persistence, and Behaviors. Front Psychol 2021; 11:533593. [PMID: 33519570 PMCID: PMC7841336 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.533593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective We aimed to explore profiles of subgroups of United States students based on their motivational and affective characteristics and investigate the differences in math-related behaviors, persistence, and math achievement across profiles. Method We used 1,464 United States students (male 743 51%, female 721 49%, age 15.82 ± 0.28) from PISA 2012 United States data in our study. First, we employed latent profile analysis and secondary clustering to identify subgroups of students based on motivational (math self-concept, interest in math, perceived control, and instrumental motivation) and affective factors (math anxiety). Next, we used regression to compare differences in math behavior, persistence, and achievement among all identified subgroups. Results We found five distinct groups of students with different patterns of motivation and affection. The subgroup of students with the lowest math anxiety and the highest motivation levels showed the highest math achievement and levels of persistence. The groups with high math interest, math self-concept, and instrumental motivation showed the most frequent math-related behaviors. Conclusions Our findings reveal the complexity of the students’ motivational and affective profiles. Our findings are significant for teachers and educators to understand the diversity of students and provide theoretical and practical support for individualized and differentiated instruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiya Xiao
- Department of Psychology, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Li Sun
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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