Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41149764›Full record

ArticleJournal of Intelligence2025

The Interplay of Vocabulary, Working Memory, and Math Anxiety in Predicting Early Math Performance.

Roberto A Ferreira, Cristina Rodríguez, Bárbara Guzmán, Felipe Sepúlveda, Christian Peake

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of Intelligence, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Roberto A FerreiraFacultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de Talca, Linares 3582979, Chile.ORCID 0000-0002-2097-5759
Cristina RodríguezMillennium Nucleus for the Science of Learning (MiNSoL), Linares 3582979, Chile.ORCID 0000-0001-9929-9767
Bárbara GuzmánMillennium Nucleus for the Science of Learning (MiNSoL), Linares 3582979, Chile.ORCID 0009-0002-0168-5673
Felipe SepúlvedaMillennium Nucleus for the Science of Learning (MiNSoL), Linares 3582979, Chile.ORCID 0000-0001-5703-383X
Christian PeakeFacultad de Educación, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago 8370067, Chile.ORCID 0000-0002-7127-6501

Funding

Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo FONDECYT REGULAR 1191589 and 1240552; Millennium Science Initiative Program NCS2022_026
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mathematical performance in early education is influenced by a complex interplay of cognitive and affective factors, including language skills, working memory, and anxiety. This study investigated whether working memory and math anxiety, in both explicit numerical situations (ENS) and general classroom situations (GCS), mediate the relationship between general and math-specific vocabulary and math performance in a sample of 467 second-grade students in Chile. Structural equation modelling was employed to test a dual-pathway model in which both working memory and math anxiety served as mediators between vocabulary knowledge and math performance. Results indicated that both general and math-specific vocabulary positively predicted working memory and negatively predicted math anxiety in ENS. In turn, working memory and ENS significantly predicted math outcomes, whereas GCS was not a significant predictor. Indirect effects supported a dual mediation structure, with vocabulary influencing math performance through both cognitive and affective mechanisms. Math-specific vocabulary exerted a slightly stronger total effect than general vocabulary, consistent with its closer alignment to the semantic demands of mathematical tasks. These findings suggest that vocabulary supports early mathematical learning not only by enhancing cognitive processing capacity but also by reducing anxiety in task-specific contexts.

Indexed as

cognitive-affective factorsearly childhoodearly numeracylanguage developmentmath anxietymathematical performancemath vocabularyprimary educationstructural equation modellingworking memory

Identifiers

PMID41149764
PMCPMC12565165

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.