Math Anxiety & Perceptions about Intelligence

Abstract Math Anxiety (MA) is a known phenomenon, but there has been no conclusive explanation on what causes it. This study explored the topic with both a questionnaire and an experimental design. Main hypothesis of the study was that some individuals connect mathematical ability with intelligence, which increases the severity of math anxiety. Multiple statistical methods were utilized. Correlations between MA and perceptions about importance of different abilities to intelligence were conducted based on a questionnaire. Also, t-tests were utilized to compare abilities in multiple fields in their relevance to intelligence to assess if some abilities were deemed more relevant to intelligence. Furthermore, the questionnaire data was used to conduct a stepwise regression analysis to observe which factors contributed most to MA. Lastly, to control for self-report bias, a stepwise regression analysis was conducted to observe which factors were most relevant to change in skin conductance during a trial where the participants’ skin conductance was measured while solving math problems. The findings of the study indicate, that people do associate ability in mathematics with intelligence. However, there was no indication that it affected the intensity of an individuals MA. The regression analysis based on self-report questionnaire data did not find that having the opinion that mathematics is indicative of intelligence to be a significant factor on the level of MA. Similar regression analysis using the laboratory experiment data was inconclusive due to challenges in finding participants, resulting in a low sample size.