The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people by Jie Liu & Zhifeng Li & Jiawang Yang & Hao He & Fang Cui instant download

The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people by Jie Liu & Zhifeng Li & Jiawang Yang & Hao He & Fang Cui instant download

This study explores the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying math avoidance in individualswith high math anxiety (HMA), a pattern contributing to reduced practice and poor performance. Using1234567890():,;1234567890():,;an approach-avoid conflict paradigm and both general linear mixed model and Hierarchical DriftDiffusion Model (HDDM) regression analyses, we found their avoidance behavior is primarily driven byheightened sensitivity to task difficulty, rather than reward sensitivity. Task difficulty sensitivity alsomediated the link between math anxiety and avoidance tendency. Neuroimaging revealed distinctactivation in the ventral valuation network (e.g., nucleus accumbens, hippocampus) and cognitivecontrol regions (e.g., precuneus, mid-cingulate cortex, temporo-parietal junction) in HMA individuals.Functional connectivity among these regions effectively distinguished HMA from low math anxietyparticipants. Additionally, activations in the hippocampus, mid-cingulate cortex, and posterior insulamediated the relationship between math anxiety and avoidance. These findings highlight the cognitiveand neural bases of math avoidance and may inform targeted interventions.