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Updated: May 14, 2026
10:58
Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)
Published on: August 28, 2021
Dynamic social power modulates neural basis of math calculation
Tokiko Harada1, Donna J Bridge, Joan Y Chiao
1Department of Psychology, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|February 8, 2013
Summary
Temporarily increasing social power improved women's approximate math skills. This may occur by reducing cognitive interference in the brain's left inferior frontal gyrus during calculations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Social factors, such as perceived power and cultural stereotypes, influence academic performance, especially in mathematics.
- Mathematical computation involves neural circuits in the inferior parietal and inferior frontal lobes.
- The neural mechanisms underlying social power's impact on math calculation are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if temporarily enhancing social power influences the neural basis of mathematical calculation in women.
- To examine the effects of high power (HP) versus low power (LP) priming on math performance and brain activity.
Main Methods:
- Female participants were primed with either high or low power.
- Neural responses were measured using fMRI while participants solved exact and approximate math problems.
- Performance on math tasks was compared between the HP and LP groups.
Main Results:
- High power priming improved performance on approximate math calculations compared to low power priming.
- Reduced neural activity was observed in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for the HP group compared to the LP group.
- The left IFG is implicated in cognitive interference during task performance.
Conclusions:
- Temporarily increasing social power can enhance women's mathematical performance.
- This enhancement may be mediated by a reduction in cognitive interference within the left IFG.
- Findings suggest a link between social status and cognitive processes involved in mathematical reasoning.
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