Mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat: shared mechanisms, negative consequences and promising interventions

Abstract

Proficiency in mathematics is a major advantage in industrialised nations. Here we discuss several emotional impediments to mathematics achievement, namely mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat. Synthesising findings from empirical studies in the fields of cognitive, social, and educational psychology, as well as neuroscience, we discuss some of the ways that affective factors can negatively impact mathematical performance and lead to avoidance of mathematics and mathematics-related fields. We bring together the mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat literatures by suggesting that these two phenomena share a common underlying mechanism, which causes disturbance in mathematics performance. We end by suggesting a number of potential interventions aimed at reducing the negative consequences of anxiety and stereotype threat on mathematics performance – interventions fueled by an understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms by which mathematics anxiety and stereotype threat work to impact performance.

Keywords:

• mathematics anxiety
• stereotype threat
• mathematics achievement

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences Grant R305A110682, and NSF CAREER Award DRL-0746970 to S.B, as well as the NSF Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (grant numbers SBE-0541957 and SBE-1041707).