Math Achievement and Acculturation in Community College

Previous research on sex differences in mathematical achievement shows mixed findings, which have been argued to depend on types of math tests used and the type of solution strategies (i.e., verbal versus visual‐spatial) these tests evoke. The current study evaluated sex differences in (a) performance (development) on two types of math tests in primary schools and (b) the predictive value of verbal and visual‐spatial working memory on math achievement. Children (N = 3175) from grades 2 through five participated. Visual‐spatial and verbal working memory were assessed using online computerized tasks. Math performance was assessed five times during two school years using a speeded arithmetic test (math fluency) and a word problem test (math problem solving). Results from Multilevel Multigroup Latent Growth Modeling, showed that sex differences in level and growth of math performance were mixed and very small. Sex differences in the predictive value of verbal and visual‐spatial working memory for math performance suggested that boys seemed to rely more on verbal strategies than girls. Explanations focus on cognitive and emotional factors and how these may interact to possibly amplify sex differences as children grow older.

Examining the roles of working memory and trait anxiety on math achievement in children with ADHD.

BackgroundMath anxiety (MA) and math achievement (MATH) are related, but the direction of their relationship and their predictors are still unclear. AimsWe tested whether MATH predicts MA (Deficit Theory), MA predicts MATH (Debilitating Anxiety Theory), or whether MA and MATH have reciprocal relationships (Reciprocal Theory). Further, we established whether MA at T0, T1, and T2 and MATH at T1 and T2 were predicted by gender, general anxiety, fluid intelligence, verbal and visuospatial working memory, and symbolic and non-symbolic numerical representations tested at T0. SampleWe tested 337 Polish primary school children. MethodsWe analyzed longitudinal data at three time points: T0 – the beginning of the first grade, T1 – the end of the first grade, T2 – the end of the second grade. ResultsMATH at T1 predicted MA at T2 and MA at T1 predicted MATH at T2 (supporting the Reciprocal Theory). Additionally, MATH at T1 was predicted by fluid intelligence, visuospatial working memory, and symbolic numerical representation; MATH at T2 by fluid intelligence, verbal working memory, and MATH at T1. MA at T0 was predicted by general anxiety and symbolic numerical representation, MA at T1 by MA at T0 and gender, and MA at T2 by MA at T1. ConclusionsThe results support the Reciprocal Theory of the MA and MATH relationship. MA is predicted by general anxiety, knowledge of mathematical symbols and gender. MATH is predicted by fluid intelligence, working memory and knowledge of mathematical symbols.

Working memory and inductive reasoning ability each appear related to children's achievement in math and reading. Dynamic measures of reasoning, based on an assessment procedure including feedback, may provide additional predictive value. The aim of this study was to investigate whether working memory and dynamic measures of analogical reasoning are unique predictors of children's concurrent and subsequent reading and math achievement. School children (N = 188, M = 7.1 years, SD = 11 months) were administered a dynamic test of analogical reasoning comprising a pretest‐training‐posttest design. Pretest performance measures static reasoning ability, whereas posttest performance and feedback‐needs during training are considered dynamic measures. Verbal and visuo‐spatial working memories were assessed prior to dynamic testing. Performance on national reading and math achievement tests were gathered at two time points within one school year. A multilevel mixed‐effects model indicated that verbal (but not visuo‐spatial) working memory and dynamic reasoning measures formed unique predictors of concurrent and subsequent achievement in math and reading. Verbal working memory efficiency and performance on a dynamic test of analogical reasoning were both positively related to math and reading achievement in children in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. Dynamic assessment, in addition to working memory assessment, may be useful for educational psychologists when attempting to gauge children's future school performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

IntroductionMath anxiety severely impacts individuals’ learning and future success. However, limited is understood about the profile in East Asian cultures where students genuinely show high‐level math anxiety, despite that they outperform their Western counterparts. Here, we investigate the relation between math anxiety and math achievement in children as young as first and second graders in Taiwan. Further, we evaluate whether intensive exposure to digital game‐based learning in mathematics could ameliorate math anxiety.MethodsThe study first evaluated a group of 159 first and second graders’ math anxiety and its correlation with math performance. Subsequently, a quasi‐experimental design was adopted: 77 of the children continued and participated in multi‐component digital game training targeting enumeration, speeded calculation, and working memory. Post‐assessment was administered afterward for further evaluation of training‐associated effects.ResultsResults confirmed that math anxiety was negatively associated with school math achievement, which assessed numerical knowledge and arithmetic calculation. Furthermore, children's math anxiety was remarkably reduced via digital training in mathematics after 6‐week intensive remediation. Crucially, this math anxiety relief was more prominent in those with high‐level math anxiety. Although the children who underwent the training showed training‐induced math achievement and working memory enhancement, this cognitive improvement appeared to be independent of the math anxiety relief.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that students can show highly negative emotions and perceptions toward learning even in high‐achieving countries. Auspiciously, the feeling of distress toward learning has the feasibility to be relieved from short‐term intensive training. Our study suggests a new approach of early treatments to emotional disturbance that can lead to permanent consequences in individuals.

Working memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive function crucial adaptive behavior. The intricate interplay between the frontal cortex and striatum in governing WM maintenance and updating remains a central question. In this study, we employed optogenetics to demonstrate that inhibiting both dorsomedial striatum (DMS) D1R- and D2R-neurons enhances WM, while their activation impairs it across T-maze and operant-based delayed-non-match-to-place (DNMTP) paradigms in mice. Notably, these neurons selectively modulate WM maintenance and retrieval, with no impact on encoding. Analysis through signal detection theory (SDT) revealed specific regulation of WM signal detection sensitivity, with no alterations in motivational or motor states during the operant DNMTP task. Interestingly, DMS D2R-neurons govern WM regulation under low cognitive load, switching to D1R-neurons as cognitive load increases. Activation of DMS D1R-neurons during the delay phase severely impairs WM under high cognitive load, a deficit rescued by optogenetic inhibition of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), or dopaminergic terminals in DMS. Additionally, treatment with the D1R antagonist SCH39166, but not the D2R antagonist Sulpiride mitigates these impairments. Collectively, our findings propose a “relay” model wherein cognitive load-dependent WM control switches from DMS D2R- to D1R-neurons, offering nuanced, complementary, and inhibitory regulation of WM maintenance and retrieval. This study suggests potential strategies to enhance WM by promoting a suppressive state in DMS and to increase WM capacity through specific modulation of DMS D1R-neurons.

The combination of data visualization and auditory display (e.g., sonification) has been shown to increase accuracy, and reduce perceived difficulty, within 3D navigation tasks. While accuracy within such tasks can be measured in real time, subjective impressions about the difficulty of a task are more elusive to obtain. Prior work utilizing electrophysiology (EEG) has found robust support that cognitive load and working memory can be monitored in real time using EEG data. In this study, we replicated a 3D navigation task (within the context of image-guided surgery) while recording data pertaining to participants' cognitive load through the use of EEG relative alpha-band weighting data. Specifically, 13 subjects navigated a tracked surgical tool to randomly placed 3D virtual locations on a CT cerebral angiography volume while being aided by visual, aural, or both visual and aural feedback. During the study EEG data were captured from the participants, and after the study a NASA TLX questionnaire was filled out by the subjects. In addition to replicating an existing experimental design on auditory display within image-guided neurosurgery, our primary aim sought to determine whether EEG-based markers of cognitive load mirrored subjective ratings of task difficulty RESULTS : Similar to existing literature, our study found evidence consistent with the hypothesis that auditory display can increase the accuracy of navigating to a specified target. We also found significant differences in cognitive working load across different feedback modalities, but none of which supported the experiments hypotheses. Finally, we found mixed results regarding the relationship between real-time measurements of cognitive workload and a posteriori subjective impressions of task difficulty. Although we did not find a significant correlation between the subjective and physiological measurements, differences in cognitive working load were found. As well, our study further supports the use of auditory display in image-guided surgery.

According to the processing efficiency theory (PET), math anxiety would interfere with working memory resources, negatively affecting mathematical abilities. To date, few studies have explored how the interaction between math anxiety and working memory would affect different types of math tasks, especially in primary school children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore whether the interplay between math anxiety and working memory would influence performance in numerical operations (i.e., math fluency task) and mathematical reasoning (i.e., math reasoning task) in a group of primary school children (N = 202). Results showed that visuospatial working memory appeared to moderate the relationship between math anxiety and math performance when the math fluency task was considered, indicating that participants with higher levels of working memory were more negatively affected by math anxiety. No interaction effect was found for the math reasoning task in which students’ scores were explained only by visuospatial working memory. The findings suggest that math anxiety and visuospatial working memory interact to influence performance in the math fluency task and that this effect may vary depending on the strategies used to complete the task. On the other hand, results on the math reasoning task showed that visuospatial working memory continues to have a positive effect on the math performance independently of math anxiety. The implications in the educational setting are discussed, pointing to the importance of monitoring and intervention studies on affective factors.

Academic self-esteem (ASE) plays a significant role in children's learning outcomes by influencing their engagement and performance in subjects, such as math. Although existing studies emphasize the importance of self-esteem in academic achievement, the potential of interactive technologies, particularly virtual robots, in enhancing ASE remains underexplored. This study investigates the impact of a virtual robot on children's ASE, math performance, concentration, and engagement in an e-learning environment. The study involved an experimental group (<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> = 12) interacting with a virtual robot integrated into the math e-learning platform, and a control group (<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> = 12) working in a traditional e-learning setting without robot interaction. The results demonstrated that the experimental group, which interacted with the virtual robot, exhibited significant improvements in math performance, concentration, and engagement across the three experimental sessions (Sessions 1, 2, and 3) compared with the control group, as indicated by both quantitative measures and qualitative feedback from participants. ASE, as well as the quantity and quality of friendships, was assessed pre-and post-test, with findings indicating greater improvements in the experimental group after the intervention. The correlation between improved math performance and higher ASE was moderate to strong. These findings underscore the potential of virtual robots as tools that positively influence the ASE and learning outcomes of children, and highlight their value for future educational settings where such technology could address achievement gaps in mathematics learning through improved self-perception.

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit impairments in working memory that often appear in attenuated form in persons at high risk for the illness. The authors hypothesized that deviations in task-related brain activation and deactivation would occur in persons with an at-risk mental state performing a working memory task that entailed the maintenance and manipulation of letters. Participants at ultra high risk for developing psychosis (N=60), identified using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States, and healthy comparison subjects (N=38) 14 to 29 years of age underwent functional MRI while performing a verbal working memory task. Group differences in brain activation were identified using analysis of covariance. The two groups did not show significant differences in speed or accuracy of performance, even after accounting for differences in education. Irrespective of task condition, at-risk participants exhibited significantly less activation than healthy comparison subjects in the left anterior insula. During letter manipulation, at-risk persons exhibited greater task-related deactivation within the default-mode network than comparison subjects. Region-of-interest analysis in the at-risk group revealed significantly greater right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during manipulation of letters. Despite comparable behavioral performance, at-risk participants performing a verbal working memory task exhibited altered brain activation compared with healthy subjects. These findings demonstrate an altered pattern of brain activation in at-risk persons that contains elements of reduced function as well as compensation.

Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to reason about the mental states of others. An increasing number of studies have revealed that working memory (WM) plays an important role in ToM. The present study applied WM loads to adults during a ToM task in order to investigate the impact on mental‐state reasoning performance. The task required participants to estimate the probabilities of several possible behaviours for a protagonist following the presentation of a ToM story. Participants were also required to maintain a meaningless two‐ (light WM load) or seven‐letter English alphabet string (heavy WM load) during story comprehension and mental‐state reasoning. The results show that the combination of light WM load applied during story comprehension with heavy WM load during mental‐state reasoning results in an overestimation of the probability that the protagonist's behaviour will accord with a participant's knowledge. Conversely, a heavy WM load applied during story comprehension, regardless of the type of WM load during mental‐state reasoning, did not result in this probability estimation bias. We discuss these findings from the perspective of a WM representation account.

Obesity has become epidemic among adult Hispanic women in the U.S. Currently over 75% of adult Latinas are either overweight or obese, which is partly attributable to poor dietary patterns. Although dietary patterns may be related to acculturation status, relationships have been inconsistent and are likely confounded by socioeconomic factors. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of acculturation and socioeconomic status on dietary intake patterns in Mexican-American women. METHODS: A community sample of 299 women (mean age= 36.0 ± 9.1 yrs; mean body mass index [BMI] = 31.0 ± 6.4) were recruited from the South Bay region of San Diego County. Participants completed an interviewer-assisted survey regarding education level, family size, household income, a short acculturation scale and a brief dietary questionnaire for Hispanics. To evaluate the combined effects of acculturation and socioeconomic status, indicators were dichotomized, and participants categorized into one of four quadrants (high/high, high/low, low/high, low/low), each reflecting a different combination of acculturation and socioeconomic status. Data were analyzed using MANCOVA to determine the effect of acculturation/socioeconomic groupings on dietary fat intake, fast food intake, and fruit and vegetable intake. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the acculturation/socioeconomic groupings and dietary fat intake or fruit and vegetable intake. While the difference between the frequency of fast food intake per week was statistically significant between the high acculturation/above poverty group and the low acculturation/poverty group (1.18 vs. 0.99; P<0.05), it is doubtful this small difference has practical significance. CONCLUSION: Limited evidence was found for an interaction between acculturation, socioeconomic factors and dietary intake. Relationships between acculturation, income, and fast food consumption appear complex and need further study in understanding the dietary habits of underserved populations. Supported by a SIP 09-04 Cooperative Agreement (U48 DP000036-01S1) between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the San Diego Prevention Research Center.

In the present study, we made a quantitative synthesis of the literature comparing children with Math learning difficulties to average-achieving, age-matched children on measures of working memory in view of Baddeley and Hitch’s multicomponential working memory model. Our meta-analytic investigation drew from the literature a number of 18 studies that matched the inclusion criteria. We hypothesized that all three components of Baddeley and Hitch’s model should contribute to the poor Math performance displayed by children with Math learning difficulties, and that this relation varies as a function of age. Also, we hypothesized that children with Math learning difficulties would present more accentuated working memory deficits for numerical material and/or processing. Based upon Cohen’s criteria, the results indicate a large effect size, in favor of the controls for the relationship between Math performance and central executive component, as well as Math performance and the visual–spatial sketchpad, more accentuated in younger ages. Only a moderate effect size emerged in the case of Math performance and the phonological loop (PL). With respect to numerical versus non-numerical working memory deficits, a large effect size emerged for numerical central executive measures, along with a moderate effect size for the PL numerical measures, and a weak effect size for non-numerical PL. The results indicate that Math difficulties are attributable to a central executive deficit or delay, more accentuated for numerical stimuli and/or processing and to a visual–spatial working memory deficit.

Numerous studies reported an age-related deficit in verbal working memory (WM). Beyond the well-established general factors of cognitive aging, the alteration of the specific WM maintenance mechanisms may account for this deficit. This paper aims to investigate the hypothesis that WM attentional maintenance is impaired with age. In a WM task adapted to individual short-term memory and processing speed, younger and older participants maintained letters while verbally responding to a concurrent processing task, in order to constrain the use of rehearsal. Critically, the opportunity to use attentional maintenance was manipulated by varying the cognitive load (CL) of the concurrent processing via its nature and pace. Younger participants outperformed older participants and, in both groups, recall performance decreased as the CL increased. Importantly, in line with our predictions, the CL effect was modulated by age. Older adults benefited less from free pauses that allowed participants to engage in attentional maintenance of WM traces. Although still effective in normal aging, WM attentional maintenance seems to be altered. It could therefore be a good candidate to account for WM age-related deficits.

Individuals exposed to highly stressful negative events show alterations in working memory (WM) function. The correlational nature of these studies makes it impossible to determine whether exposure to negative events itself decreases WM. Such events elicit intrusive thoughts which may cause interference in WM. The main objective of this study was to verify the causal impact of a recent negative event on WM, and to examine the role of intrusive thoughts. One hundred and twenty participants completed a WM task (n-Back). Then, 90 of these participants watched an emotionally negative video and 30 watched a neutral video. The emotional impact of the video was assessed, and the frequency of intrusive thoughts were measured. WM was measured a second time (n-Back) while recording EEG (P300). Contrary to our hypothesis, the negative video did not impair behavioural WM performance compared to the neutral video. However, it disrupted WM neurocognitive processes (lower P300 amplitude) under low WM load. In the high load condition, greater emotional reaction was linked to poorer accuracy and more intrusive thoughts, which in turn slowed response times. Our results suggest that the impact of negative emotions on WM depends on both individual sensitivity and cognitive load.