Domain-general and domain-specific cognitive factors mediating the relationship between math anxiety and mathematical performance in primary school children.

ABSTRACT: Math anxiety (MA) has been widely recognized as a barrier to mathematical achievement, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying its effects on different mathematical outcomes remain poorly understood. This study applies a multiple mediation model to examine how MA affects three key domains of mathematical performance - word problem-solving, calculation, and math fluency - through both domain-general (working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, selective attention) and domain-specific (transcoding, ordering, symbolic and non-symbolic comparison) cognitive factors. A sample of 472 French third-graders (aged 7.7-9.4 years) was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify cognitive mediators of the relationship between MA and mathematical outcomes, while controlling for

SUBMITTER: Taieb E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12808763 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature