Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
Published on: September 27, 2020
Academic anxiety and cognitive reflection in neurodivergence based on evidence from a large international sample
Sheeza Mahak1, Stephanie Malone2, Mahmoud Elsherif3,4
1Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Department of Mathematics Education, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. s.mahak@lboro.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Anxiety is commonly experienced by neurodivergent individuals participating in higher education, related to both cognitive performance and academic achievement. Whereas certain anxieties in neurodivergence (e.g., social and general anxiety) have received more attention, scant research has considered mathematics and statistics anxiety. In this study, 1383 university students (679 neurotypical, 704 neurodivergent individuals)-matched on age, gender, education level, and country of origin-completed measures assessing various types of academic-related anxiety, attitudes toward mathematics, self-efficacy, and cognitive reflection. Results showed that neurodivergent students exhibited higher anxiety levels across measures, including mathematics and statistics anxiety. However, only cognitive and somatic anxiety, and social anxiety were related to neurodivergent status after taking into account the effects of the other measures. Despite differing anxiety levels (which showed variability between different neurodivergences), neurodivergent and neurotypical students in general were equivalent in cognitive reflection scores, suggesting similar levels of analytic thinking skills, including reasoning about mathematical content. In both the neurotypical and neurodivergent groups, higher levels of cognitive reflection were associated with male gender, less fear of negative evaluation, and lower mathematics and creativity anxiety, replicating and extending previous work. Our findings have implications for supporting neurodivergent individuals in academic settings and other sectors.
Related Concept Videos
Social Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety: Overview
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Language and Cognition
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....

