数学焦虑影响儿童的数量表征:认知抑制的调节作用

为了考察数学焦虑对儿童数量表征表现的可能影响及认知抑制的潜在调节作用，选取70名小学三年级儿童（高焦虑组36人，低焦虑组34人）为被试，在对抑制条件进行操控的情况下，要求其完成符号、非符号数量表征任务。结果发现，被试在两种数量表征任务中均出现距离效应，与符号数量比较任务相比，高焦虑组在非符号数量比较任务中的正确率显著低于低焦虑组，且高焦虑组表现出了更强的距离效应。鉴于非符号数量比较任务更能反映出个体近似数量系统（ANS）的敏锐性，上述结果意味着高数学焦虑儿童的数量表征更不精确，其在相对复杂问题上较差的表现或许源于基本数量能力缺陷。本研究还发现认知抑制能够调节数学焦虑对个体非符号数量表征的影响，抑制条件下高低焦虑组儿童在正确率指标上的差异大于非抑制条件，抑制条件的设置提高了个体对工作记忆资源的需求，此时焦虑情绪对认知资源的消耗会造成任务所需资源的不足，进而削弱高焦虑个体的认知效用。

Math Anxiety Affects Children's Numerical Representation: Cognitive Inhibition as a Moderator

The current paper examined differences among children with different level of math anxiety in the processing of numerical magnitude under condition of inhibition and non-inhibition. 70 third graders, including 36 high math anxiety children (HMA) and 34 low math anxiety children (LMA), were employed and asked to accomplish symbolic numerical representation tasks and non-symbolic numerical representation tasks. The results showed that numerical distance effect was found in all participants. Compared to symbolic numerical representation tasks, the ACC of HMA children was lower than LMA children in non-symbolic numerical representation tasks, and the distance effect was larger for HMA group than for LMA group. Additionally, HMA had poorer performance in inhibition condition than LMA children. These findings suggested that math anxiety may not only affect difficult mathematical tasks, but simple numerical tasks. And the cognitive inhibition plays a regulatory role in this processing.