scholarly journals Neural evidence for cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of math anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 1271-1287
Author(s):  
Rachel G Pizzie ◽  
Cassidy L McDermott ◽  
Tyler G Salem ◽  
David J M Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Math Grades ◽  
Increase In Accuracy

Abstract Math anxiety (MA) describes feelings of tension, apprehension and fear that interfere with math performance. High MA (HMA) is correlated with negative consequences, including lower math grades, and ultimately an avoidance of quantitative careers. Given these adverse consequences, it is essential to explore effective intervention strategies to reduce MA. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of MA. Cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy, has been shown to decrease negative affect and amygdala responsivity to stimuli that elicit negative emotion. We compared a reappraisal strategy to participants’ natural strategy for solving math problems and analogies. We found that HMA individuals showed an increase in accuracy and a decrease in negative affect during the reappraisal condition as compared to the control condition. During math reappraise trials, increased activity in a network of regions associated with arithmetic correlated with improved performance for HMA individuals. These results suggest that increased engagement of arithmetic regions underlies the performance increases we identify in HMA students when they use reappraisal to augment their math performance. Overall, cognitive reappraisal is a promising strategy for enhancing math performance and reducing anxiety in math anxious individuals.

scholarly journals Neural Evidence for Cognitive Reappraisal as a Strategy to Alleviate the Effects of Math Anxiety

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Cassidy McDermott ◽  
Tyler G Salem ◽  
David Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Math Grades ◽  
Increase In Accuracy

Math anxiety describes feelings of tension, apprehension, and fear that interfere with math performance. High math anxiety (HMA) is correlated with negative consequences, including lower math grades, and ultimately an avoidance of quantitative careers. Given these adverse consequences, it is essential to explore effective intervention strategies to reduce math anxiety. In the present fMRI study, we investigated the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal as a strategy to alleviate the effects of math anxiety. Cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy, has been shown to decrease negative affect and amygdala responsivity to stimuli that elicit negative emotion. We compared a reappraisal strategy to participants’ natural strategy for solving math problems and analogies. We found that HMA individuals showed an increase in accuracy and a decrease in negative affect during the reappraise condition as compared to the control condition. During math reappraise trials, increased activity in a network of regions associated with arithmetic correlated with improved performance for HMA individuals. These results suggest that increased engagement of arithmetic regions underlies the performance increases we identify in HMA students when they use reappraisal to augment their math performance. Overall, cognitive reappraisal is a promising strategy for enhancing math performance and reducing anxiety in math anxious individuals.

scholarly journals Affect Dysregulation in Context: Implications and Future Directions of Experience Sampling Research on Affect Regulation Models of Loss of Control Eating

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan E. Mikhail
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Affect Regulation ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Loss Of Control Eating ◽  
Sampling Studies ◽  
Regulation Model

Loss of control eating is a core, transdiagnostic eating disorder symptom associated with psychological distress, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life. However, the factors that contribute to persistent loss of control eating despite negative consequences are not fully understood. Understanding the mechanisms that maintain loss of control eating is crucial to advance treatments that interrupt these processes. Affect regulation models of loss of control eating hypothesize that negative emotions trigger loss of control eating, and that loss of control eating is negatively reinforced because it temporarily decreases negative affect. Several variations on this basic affect regulation model have been proposed, including theories suggesting that negative affect decreases during loss of control eating rather than afterwards (escape theory), and that loss of control eating replaces one negative emotion with another that is less aversive (trade-off theory). Experience sampling designs that measure negative affect and eating behavior multiple times per day are optimally suited to examining the nuanced predictions of these affect regulation models in people's everyday lives. This paper critically reviews experience sampling studies examining associations between negative affect and loss of control eating, and discusses the implications for different affect regulation models of loss of control eating. The review concludes by proposing an expanded affect-focused model of loss of control eating that incorporates trait-level individual differences and momentary biological and environmental variables to guide future research. Clinical implications and recommendations are discussed.

scholarly journals The relationship of maternal anxiety, positive and negative affect schedule, and fatigue with neonatal psychological health upon childbirth

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Dokuhaki ◽  
Fateme Dokuhaki ◽  
Marzieh Akbarzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Maternal Anxiety ◽  
Mcgill Pain Questionnaire ◽  
Statistical Regression ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Exposure of mothers to negative moods and stress before childbirth leads to negative consequences for the infants. Given the importance of psychological health, this study aimed to examine the effect of these factors on the infants’ psychological health. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted in Shiraz hospitals on 110 pregnant women selected with multistage random sampling. Research tools included The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) to measure fatigue with three criteria; The Positive and Negative Emotion Schedule (PANAS); and The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to measure maternal mood and anxiety level. Also, neonatal psychological health was assessed by a checklist. Neonatal psychological health’s correlation with maternal anxiety, fatigue, and mental state was assessed. Data were analyzed by SPSS-19 software using Pearson correlation coefficient and statistical regression at the significance level of 0.05. Result Although there was no significant relationship between maternal anxiety score and neonatal psychological health after birth (p = 0.231; r=-0.343), the relationship was significant immediately after birth with positive (P < 0.001; r = 0.343) and negative affect scores (P < 0.001; r=-0.357). Conclusions There was a statistically significant relationship between the neonatal psychological health and maternal fatigue (p ≤ 0.001; r = -0.357) and PANAS (p ≤ 0.001) of the mother; however, it had no significant relationship with maternal anxiety (p = 0.231; r=- 0.343). Therefore, nurses and midwives can reduce maternal anxiety and improve neonatal mental health by supporting mothers.

How do working memory, general anxiety and math anxiety affect female students’ math performance?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nachshon Korem ◽  
Orly Rubinsten
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Shared Variance ◽  
Numeric Information

Current evidence suggests that math anxiety and working memory govern math performance. However, these conclusions are largely based on simple correlations, without considering these variables as a network or examining correlations at the latent variables level. Thus, questions remain regarding the role of the unique and shared variance between math anxiety, working memory and math performance. The purpose of the current study was to (i) uncover the underlying relationships between the variables to understand the unique contribution of each element to the network; (ii) measure the shared variance and identify the interactions between affect and cognition that control math performance. Our analytical approach involved both network analysis approach and structural equation modeling, with a sample of 116 female students.Results show that math anxiety and working memory affect math performance by different mechanisms. Only working memory tests that included numeric information were correlated to math anxiety. Each of the various working memory tasks correlated differently to math performance: working memory as a single latent variable was a better predictor of math performance than visuospatial and verbal working memory as two separate latent variables. Overall, both working memory and math anxiety affect math performance. Working memory tasks that include numeric information can affect performance in math anxious individuals.

Concurrent and Lagged Relations between Emotion Regulation and Affect in Adolescents’ Daily Life

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliana Silva ◽  
Teresa Freire ◽  
Susana Faria
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Expressive Suppression ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Trait Level

AbstractA better understanding of emotion regulation (ER) within daily life is a growing focus of research. This study evaluated the average use of two ER strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and concurrent and lagged relationships between these two ER strategies and affect (positive and negative affect) in the daily lives of adolescents. We also investigated the role of the same strategies at the trait level on these within-person relationships. Thirty-three adolescents provided 1,258 reports of their daily life by using the Experience Sampling Method for one week. Regarding the relative use of ER strategies, cognitive reappraisal (M = 2.87, SD = 1.58) was used more often than expressive suppression (M = 2.42, SD = 1.21). While the use of both strategies was positively correlated when evaluated in daily life (p = .01), the same did not occur at the trait level (p = .37). Multilevel analysis found that ER strategies were concurrently related to affect (p < .01), with the exception of cognitive reappraisal-positive affect relationship (p = .11). However, cognitive reappraisal predicted higher positive affect at the subsequent sampling moment ( β = 0.07, p = .03). The concurrent associations between cognitive reappraisal and negative affect vary as function of the use of this strategy at the trait level (β = 0.05, p = .02). Our findings highlighted the complex associations between daily ER strategies and affect of a normative sample of adolescents.

scholarly journals 0262 An Exploratory Examination of the Relationship Between Negative Affect, Stress and Emotional Reactivity, Mindfulness, and Sleep Incompatible Behaviors

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A100-A100
Author(s):  
S Nagy ◽  
S M Pickett ◽  
J Sosa ◽  
A Garcell
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Sleep Hygiene ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Dispositional Mindfulness ◽  
Sleep Behaviors ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Introduction Stress has been identified as a barrier to engaging in positive health behaviors. Sleep interventions, including sleep hygiene recommendations, highlight stress management as an important treatment component. However, the relationship between negative emotion, stress management or emotion regulation, and positive sleep behaviors has largely been unexamined. Therefore, the current study, through secondary analyses, examined the relationships between negative affect, stress and emotional reactivity and sleep incompatible behaviors. Lastly, the indirect effect that dispositional mindfulness, as a possible self-regulatory mechanism, may have on the relationship was also examined. It was hypothesized that greater levels of stress, emotional reactivity, and negative arousal along with lower levels of dispositional mindfulness would predict higher engagement in sleep incompatible behaviors. Methods Participants (n=308) identified mostly as female (55.8%) and White/Caucasian (83.2%) and with an average age of 36.76 (SD = 12.20). Participants completed the Perceived Stress and Reactivity Scale (PSRS), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Sleep Behaviors Self-Rating Scale, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). A multiple regression analysis was conducted using the relevant subscales from the PSRS, PANAS, and FFMQ to predict the occurrence of behaviors incompatible with healthy sleep. Results The hypothesis was partially supported. Results indicated that the model significantly predicted sleep incompatible behavior (R2= .108, F(9, 299) = 4.042, p &lt; .001), with only negative affect (β= .163, t(299) = 2.555, p = .011) and nonreactivity (β= -.219, t(299) = -2.484, p = .014) remaining significant when all variables were entered in the model. Conclusion The findings demonstrate that negative affect and reactivity are significant predictors of engagement in poor sleep hygiene practices. They also suggest that certain facets of dispositional mindfulness has an indirect relationship with sleep incompatible behaviors. The results may contribute to the development of sleep health interventions and highlight the need for future research. Support N/A

scholarly journals Examining the link between math anxiety and math performance in Colombian students

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florencia Reali ◽  
William Jiménez-Leal ◽  
Carolina Maldonado-Carreño ◽  
Amy Devine ◽  
Dénes Szücs
Keyword(s):  
Math Anxiety ◽  
Math Performance
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