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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults

Published on: October 19, 2014

Attentional bias in math anxiety.

Orly Rubinsten¹, Hili Eidlin¹, Hadas Wohl¹

¹Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa Haifa, Israel.

Frontiers in Psychology

|November 4, 2015

Summary

Math anxious individuals show attentional bias, reacting faster to math-related stimuli. This cognitive bias may contribute to the development and persistence of math anxiety (MA).

Keywords:

attentional bias dot probe math anxiety

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Last Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults

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Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

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Published on: July 19, 2017

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Educational Psychology

Background:

General anxiety theory links attentional bias toward negative information to anxiety.
Math anxiety (MA) is a persistent negative emotional reaction to mathematics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of attentional bias in math anxiety.
To determine if individuals with math anxiety exhibit biased attention towards math-related stimuli.

Main Methods:

A computerized numerical dot probe task was administered to participants.
Participants included individuals with high and low levels of math anxiety.
Reaction times to probes appearing near math-related or neutral stimuli were measured.

Main Results:

Math anxious individuals demonstrated faster reaction times when probes appeared at the location of math-related stimuli.
This indicates a selective attentional bias towards math-related information in this group.

Conclusions:

Attentional bias is implicated in math anxiety.
Cognitive biases may play a role in the maintenance of intense math anxiety symptoms.