Math Performance as a Function of Math Anxiety and Arousal Performance Theory

While research continues to link increased math anxiety with reduced working memory, the exact nature of the relationship remains elusive. In addition, research regarding the extent of the impact math anxiety has on working memory is contradictory. This research clarifies the directional nature of math anxiety as it pertains to working memory, and the extent of impact it has in non-math tasks. Forty low, moderate, and high math anxious participants completed both a math and non-math working memory intensive task, several personality measures, and a series of progressively more taxing memory/attention tasks. There was no relationship between math anxiety and performance on a non-math task, but an inverse relationship between math anxiety and performance on the math portion of a working memory intensive math task. Math Anxiety was directly related to perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation. There was no relationship between math anxiety and processing speed, memory span, or selective attention. There was a significant effect of math anxiety on working memory, but this effect was limited to a math intensive task wherein the low math anxious group outperformed the moderate or high math anxious groups. Finally, scores on the Avoidant, Compulsive, and PTSD scales of the MCMI-III did not vary as a function of math anxiety, but the high anxiety group scored higher on the Anxiety scale of the MCMI-III than both the moderately and low math anxious groups. Exploratory analysis revealed an effect of math anxiety on SAT total score and SAT English, Math, and Science scores. Low math anxious individuals had higher SAT total and Math scores than both moderately and highly math anxious individuals, higher English scores than the high math anxious individuals, and both the low and moderately math anxious group had higher SAT Science scores than the high anxious groups. In a laboratory, the working memory deficit associated with math anxiety is limited to working memory intensive math tasks, but the real world impact appears more far reaching. Future research should clarify this relationship while controlling for the impact of other related constructs such as perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation

Impact of Kindergarten Transition Practices in Promoting Positive Behavioral School Readiness Skills

Successfully adjusting to the behavioral demands of kindergarten is a pivotal, yet challenging, developmental milestone for students, making it imperative that schools have a comprehensive menu of universal transition practices and targeted transition interventions available. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize and evaluate the existing research on the outcomes associated with universal transition practices and targeted transition interventions aimed at improving social-emotional behavioral skills important to the transition to kindergarten. 17 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Results from this review highlight the utility of targeting self-regulation skills in students transitioning to kindergarten through multi-component interventions that incorporate caregiver involvement. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed

Targeted Sampling Increases Knowledge and Improves Estimates of Ant Species Richness in Rhode Island

Only 0.7% of 28,205 known New England ant specimens (1861–2011) were from Rhode Island. Consequently, apparent ant species richness of Rhode Island counties was lower than expected based on simple biogeographic models. Collections from two poorly sampled areas—Block Island and Tiverton—and from the 2013 Rhode Island Natural History Survey's BioBlitz increased Rhode Island's ant specimens by 46%) and its ant species richness from 48 to 57. Both Washington and Newport counties now have ant species richness more in line with New England-wide species-environment predictions. The extrapolated number of Rhode Island ant species is 66, but the upper bound of the 95% confidence interval is 93 species and the total species accumulation curve has not reached an asymptote. Future collection efforts should continue to add ant species to the Rhode Island list, especially if collections are targeted in the state's north and southeast regions, and its southwest pine barrens.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog