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Journal article
Sex differences in brain correlates of STEM anxiety
NPJ science of learning, v 4(1), pp 1-10
01 Nov 2019
PMID: 31700677
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Anxiety is known to dysregulate the salience, default mode, and central executive networks of the human brain, yet this phenomenon has not been fully explored across the STEM learning experience, where anxiety can impact negatively academic performance. Here, we evaluated anxiety and large-scale brain connectivity in 101 undergraduate physics students. We found sex differences in STEM-related and clinical anxiety, with longitudinal increases in science anxiety observed for both female and male students. Sex-specific relationships between STEM anxiety and brain connectivity emerged, with male students exhibiting distinct inter-network connectivity for STEM and clinical anxiety, and female students demonstrating no significant within-sex correlations. Anxiety was negatively correlated with academic performance in sex-specific ways at both pre- and post-instruction. Moreover, math anxiety in male students mediated the relation between default mode-salience connectivity and course grade. Together, these results reveal complex sex differences in the neural mechanisms driving how anxiety is related to STEM learning.
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Details
- Title
- Sex differences in brain correlates of STEM anxiety
- Creators
- Ariel A. Gonzalez - Florida International UniversityKatherine L. Bottenhorn - Florida International UniversityJessica E. Bartley - Florida International UniversityTimothy Hayes - Florida International UniversityMichael C. Riedel - Florida International UniversityTaylor Salo - Florida International UniversityElsa I. Bravo - Florida International UniversityRosalie Odean - University of DelawareAlina Nazareth - Temple UniversityRobert W. Laird - Miami, FL USA Miami, FL USAMatthew T. Sutherland - Florida International UniversityEric Brewe - Drexel UniversityShannon M. Pruden - Florida International UniversityAngela R. Laird - Florida International University
- Publication Details
- NPJ science of learning, v 4(1), pp 1-10
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group UK
- Grant note
- REAL DRL-1420627; 1631325; 1631325; REAL DRL-1420627 / ; U01-DA041156 / ;
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000609468600001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85105592666
- Other Identifier
- 991019168762304721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Education & Educational Research
- Neurosciences
- Psychology, Experimental