Page 17 - IJSA, Vol. 6, No 2, 2023

International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2023
рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa

Discussion mathematical aptitude and the discernment of numerical
The primary aim of this investigation was to ascertain quantities. Wong and Liu (2020) similarly affirmed that
whether indicators of anxiety symptoms, deceptive goal-directed visual attention correlated with children’s
behavior, attentional capacity, and age could serve as arithmetic capabilities, with this connection being
predictive factors for arithmetic proficiency among mediated by the subjects’ enumeration proficiencies.
children engaged in sporting activities. Furthermore, our findings indicate that deceitful behavior
Our findings demonstrated that manifestations of anxiety and age do not bear significant relevance as predictors of
symptoms, processing of characters during the arithmetic abilities. Costa & Pinho (2010) did not
attentional task, instances of omission errors, and errors establish a notable correlation between dishonesty and
associated with marking irrelevant characters in the arithmetic performance. However, Maggioni &
attention assessment all function as predictors for Rossignoli (2020) did discern such a relationship. As
arithmetic aptitude in the child and adolescent children undergo cognitive maturation, they acquire the
demographic. capacity to adopt inaccurate behaviors and engage in
Drawing from the research conducted by Wu et al. deception for competitive advantage, as delineated by
(2017), it was established that in eight-year-old children, Ding et al. (2018). In regard to age, despite Aragón et al.
the presence of math-related anxiety exerted a (2018) contention that arithmetic skills tend to advance
noteworthy and consistent indirect impact on nonverbal in tandem with educational progression and age, such a
performance in numerical operations and mathematical sociodemographic parameter did not manifest as a
reasoning. Furthermore, in tasks of heightened pertinent predictor variable for arithmetic performance in
complexity, mathematical anxiety exhibited both direct our analyzed sample. While a certain nexus between
and indirect effects (via working memory) on subjects’ age and their arithmetic aptitude might be
mathematical reasoning abilities. Conversely, it was apparent (Nogues & Duro, 2016), other factors like the
posited that the adoption of cognitive reappraisal intensity of physical demands inherent to training
strategies for mathematical tasks, resulting in diminished regimens could exert a more salient influence upon
negative affect and amygdala responses to anxiety- cognitive proficiencies, particularly within the realm of
inducing situations, could lead to a reduction in anxiety arithmetic, as asserted by Coe et al. (2006). The
levels, thereby potentially enhancing mathematical implications of this study extend to sports clubs and
performance (Pizzie et al., 2020). In accordance with Wu similar organizations, offering insights for designing
et al. (2017) findings, instances where children interventions aimed at bolstering cognitive capacities,
experience anxiety pertaining to arithmetic tasks may particularly attentional and arithmetic proficiencies,
paradoxically lead to heightened attentional investment while concurrently fostering emotional regulation among
in the tasks, thereby substantiating the notion that athletes, given their pronounced impact on athletic
anxiety’s presence may not invariably yield detrimental performance. However, it should be acknowledged that
outcomes. However, it should be noted that the presence this study did not account for the potential effects
of math-related anxiety may impede the exclusion of stemming from other cognitive variables, such as
distracting environmental stimuli from one’s focus, working memory, which could impinge upon attentional
irrespective of the mathematical content involved capabilities (Orbach et al., 2020), consequently
(Hopko et al., 2002). This phenomenon, as elucidated by influencing the resolution of arithmetic tasks (Michel et
our observations, could contribute to an increased al., 2020). Additionally, the potential influence of
frequency of errors on the part of participants in the tasks, negative affect on task performance among participants
specifically encompassing default errors and errors remained unexamined (Storbeck & Clore, 2007).
arising from the misidentification of irrelevant characters Subsequent research endeavors should endeavor to
during the attentional assessment. Instances of delineate more precise participant characteristics
compromised focused attention, difficulties in the concerning this task domain, thereby enhancing control
effective utilization of well-practiced information (e.g., over potentially influential variables within analytical
basic addition or multiplication facts), or challenges in models, as well as probing the ramifications of
the ability to deploy and switch between diverse psychological symptoms on the mathematical
mathematical processes for problem-solving, collectively proficiencies of youth engaged in sports.
illuminate the adverse influence of attentional limitations
on arithmetic competencies (Wu et al., 2017). Regarding Conclusions
the characters processed within the attention task, it has This study allows for the conclusion that the presence of
been established that these also hold predictive value for anxiety and attentional characteristics such as processing
the participants’ arithmetic proficiencies. A study of characters during the attentional task, instances of
conducted by Anobile et al. (2013) involving a cohort of omission errors and errors by marking irrelevant
68 children aged between 8 and 11 years revealed that characters hold predictive power over the arithmetic
attentional and perceptual competencies pertaining to abilities of the youth.
numerical concepts emerged as predictive indicators for This type of variables is important for the sports
the participants’ mathematical scores. Even subsequent performance of young individuals and should be
to controlling for the influence of other pertinent integrated into training and development programs for
variables, these researchers noted that attentional athletes to help them maximize their athletic
faculties exhibited a sustained association with performance.

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