The impact of mathematical anxiety and working memory on children's approximate number system and the n-back training effect

The Approximate Number System is a crucial way of representing quantities, playing a vital role in children's mathematical learning. This study primarily investigates the impact of math anxiety and working memory on children's ANS and explores possible interventions. The results of Experiment 1 found that children in the low verbal working memory high math anxiety group were significantly less accurate in the approximate number system than children in the low verbal working memory low math anxiety group; Children in the low visual-spatial working memory high math anxiety group were also significantly less accurate than children in the low visual-spatial working memory low math anxiety group; However, for children with high verbal and high visual-spatial working memory, math anxiety did not significantly affect approximate number system accuracy. Experiment 2 found that dual n-back training significantly improved working memory capacity, reduced math anxiety, and enhanced approximate number system accuracy, with effects surpassing those of single n-back training.