The Impact of Anxiety and Working Memory on Algebraic Reasoning

Abstract

Math anxiety and working memory (WM) are known to affect math problem-solving abilities; and, indeed, they may affect each other. Currently, however, we understand little about the nature of this interaction or how it might affect math problem solving. In this chapter, we review our own research in which we investigated the relationship between anxiety, WM, and algebraic problem solving. We show that (1) different patterns of anxiety-WM relationships can be identified in high school students, (2) anxiety and WM influence each other iteratively over time, and (3) the nature of stability and/or change in anxiety-WM patterns predict algebraic problem-solving abilities. We conclude by reviewing ..