Spatial processing in a mental rotation task: Differences between high and low math-anxiety individuals
Por:
Nunez MI, González-Gómez B and Colomé À
Publicada:
1 sep 2019
Ahead of Print:
2 jul 2019
Resumen:
Previous studies suggested that highly math-anxious (HMA) individuals invest more attentional resources than their low math-anxious (LMA) peers in numerical tasks, and have worse spatial skills. We aimed to explore whether they also need to apply more resources in spatial tasks. In this study, HMA and LMA individuals saw normal or mirror-reversed letters in six orientations and made mirror-normal decisions. In both groups, response times and errors increased with angular deviation from upright and the ERP mental rotation effect was found. However, HMAs were slower to respond than their LMA counterparts. Interestingly, the HMA group showed a larger P3b in greater deviations for normal letters and in all mirrored letters. Since P3b amplitude reflects the attentional resources invested in the categorization of relevant stimuli, HMA individuals may need to devote more processing effort than their LMA peers when performing mental rotation. This finding is consistent with the Attentional Control Theory.
Filiaciones:
Nunez MI:
Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Spain
Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Spain
Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Spain
González-Gómez B:
Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Spain
Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Spain
Colomé À:
Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Spain
Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Spain
Green Accepted
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