Sex differences in math anxiety in Cognition (Ian Lyons)

October 9, 2018 – Professor Ian Lyons has published a new paper in the journal Cognition:

What explains sex differences in math anxiety? A closer look at the role of spatial processing

Brief Description
We examined why women on average tend to be more math anxious than men. Sex differences in math anxiety were not explained by perceived or objective differences in math ability. Instead, they were explained by various aspects of spatial processing, with the strongest effect seen for spatial anxiety (over and above general anxiety). We propose that sex differences in math anxiety may be rooted in sex differences in anxiety about or avoidance of spatial strategies when solving mathematical tasks.

Paper preprint and raw data can be accessed here:
osf.io/hxsrd

Full Citation

Sokolowski HM, Hawes Z, Lyons IM (in press). What explains sex differences in math anxiety? A closer look at the role of spatial processing. Cognition. [osf.io/hxsrd]