Mathematics Anxiety and Working Memory What is the relationship?

This chapter provides an update and critical revision of the state of the art concerning the reciprocal effects between working memory (WM) and math anxiety (MA). It describes some specific aspects of mathematical learning that have been extensively studied in the literature. The chapter also describes the interplay of WM and MA in young students and discusses the different aspects of the issue, considers future research perspectives and the possibility of intervention programs. Working memory is a term that refers to a processing resource of limited capacity that is involved in the preservation of information while simultaneously processing the same or other information. Higher working memory capacity is associated with higher accuracy in solving complex arithmetic calculation in adults as well as in children. Anxiety has been observed especially often in students with learning difficulties, typically described as more anxious than their peers.