The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people

The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people Cui Fang, Liu jie, Li Zhifeng, Yang Jiawang, He Hao This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4352237/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study delves into the cognitive and neural underpinnings of math avoidance behavior in individuals with high math anxiety (HMA), a pattern that contributes to a detrimental cycle of limited practice, poor performance, heightened anxiety, and avoidance of math-related tasks. We employed a novel experimental paradigm where participants evaluated the economic benefits against the cognitive costs of engaging in a mathematical problem-solving task. Utilizing a general linear model and Hierarchical Drift Diffusion Model regression, we found that the math avoidance tendency in HMA is primarily driven by elevated task difficulty sensitivity, rather than by changes in reward sensitivity. Task difficulty sensitivity emerges as a significant mediator between math anxiety scores and the tendency to avoid math tasks. Neurologically, we pinpointed key networks involved in math avoidance: the ventral valuation network, including the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus, and the cognitive control network, comprising the precuneus, middle cingulate cortex, and temporo-parietal junction. In contrast to their low math anxiety counterparts, HMA individuals exhibit distinct brain activation within these networks. Furthermore, the functional connectivities among these regions effectively differentiate between high and low math anxiety statuses. The altered brain activation and functional connectivities in HMA among both brain networks indicated their deficits in both value processing and cognitive effort allocation. Additionally, activations in the hippocampus, middle cingulate cortex, and posterior insula mediate the relationship between math anxiety scores and the level of math avoidance, further underlining the intricate relationship between neural activity and behavior. Our study illuminates potential cognitive and neural mechanisms，which pave the way for a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with high math anxiety and may inform targeted interventions to mitigate math avoidance behaviors. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Motivation Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Cognitive control Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Problem solving Math avoidance Math anxiety fMRI HDDM Cognitive effort Reward Full Text Additional Declarations (Not answered) Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4352237","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":314630758,"identity":"730ccd91-5f66-4afd-8c30-5d05b84f0e89","order_by":0,"name":"Cui Fang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxoYPQJKHn7354AMQg48ILY0zgKScZM+xZAOQFjZirAFpMTa4kaMmAeIS1MI/I7mx4eeO2sSZDTlslV9z7GTYGJgfPrqBR4vEjcTGxt4zxxP7Gc4euy27LRnoMDZj4xw8WgwkEtsf8LYdS5zZ2Jd2W3IbM1ALD5s0AS2NjX+BWjYc5jErltxWT5yWZt62GmODYzxmjB+3HSasReLMw8Zm2bYDwEBmS5Zm3Hach42ZgF/429MfNr5tq+Phl3988OPPbdX2wDh9+BifFig4DCaZecAkYeUgUAcmGX8Qp3oUjIJRMApGGAAAbilM6kcDRs0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Shenzhen University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cui","middleName":"","lastName":"Fang","suffix":""},{"id":314630759,"identity":"a31da560-c165-495b-9512-b5d54336baf4","order_by":1,"name":"Liu jie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shenzhen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Liu","middleName":"","lastName":"jie","suffix":""},{"id":314630760,"identity":"7fd4d20e-6153-41a6-8db0-575752f6e8c5","order_by":2,"name":"Li Zhifeng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shenzhen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Li","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhifeng","suffix":""},{"id":314630761,"identity":"4b763388-94ca-461e-9adf-a4f7fd7d7a41","order_by":3,"name":"Yang Jiawang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institute of Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yang","middleName":"","lastName":"Jiawang","suffix":""},{"id":314630762,"identity":"06d570f6-3da3-4446-8d89-9d0aabd6d50a","order_by":4,"name":"He Hao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shenzhen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"He","middleName":"","lastName":"Hao","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-05-01 03:45:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4352237/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4352237/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":85672235,"identity":"a0e38f6e-625c-479f-8bef-16493f9ed25f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 13:55:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":753424,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript0501.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4352237/v1_covered_4fed691d-5c0f-4118-a388-518872bda484.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"(Not answered)","formattedTitle":"The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Math avoidance, Math anxiety, fMRI, HDDM, Cognitive effort, Reward","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4352237/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4352237/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This study delves into the cognitive and neural underpinnings of math avoidance behavior in individuals with high math anxiety (HMA), a pattern that contributes to a detrimental cycle of limited practice, poor performance, heightened anxiety, and avoidance of math-related tasks. \r\nWe employed a novel experimental paradigm where participants evaluated the economic benefits against the cognitive costs of engaging in a mathematical problem-solving task. Utilizing a general linear model and Hierarchical Drift Diffusion Model regression, we found that the math avoidance tendency in HMA is primarily driven by elevated task difficulty sensitivity, rather than by changes in reward sensitivity. Task difficulty sensitivity emerges as a significant mediator between math anxiety scores and the tendency to avoid math tasks. Neurologically, we pinpointed key networks involved in math avoidance: the ventral valuation network, including the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus, and the cognitive control network, comprising the precuneus, middle cingulate cortex, and temporo-parietal junction. In contrast to their low math anxiety counterparts, HMA individuals exhibit distinct brain activation within these networks. Furthermore, the functional connectivities among these regions effectively differentiate between high and low math anxiety statuses. 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Our study illuminates potential cognitive and neural mechanisms，which pave the way for a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with high math anxiety and may inform targeted interventions to mitigate math avoidance behaviors.","manuscriptTitle":"The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-07-03 16:32:20","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4352237/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e8f5f7a6-4d4b-44a1-9972-7fc160f752e3","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 3rd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":33280179,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Motivation"},{"id":33280180,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Cognitive control"},{"id":33280181,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Problem solving"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-06-30T13:47:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-07-03 16:32:20","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4352237","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4352237","identity":"rs-4352237","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}