Investigating the content-specificity and time course of attentional biases in mathematics anxiety: a dot-probe approach

Mathematics anxiety (MA) is associated with intrusive thoughts and performance difficulties, yet its impact on attentional processes remains uncertain. Previous findings on attentional bias (AB) in MA have been inconsistent, and no studies have explicitly examined biases towards the negative internal dialogue and ruminations characteristic of MA. Across three experimental studies, we employed the dot-probe paradigm to investigate the content specificity and time course of AB in MA. Study 1 (n = 50) examined attentional responses to math-related words. No AB was observed, although higher MA was linked to slower reaction times (RTs) on congruent trials. Study 2 (n = 83) tested rumination-related words presented for 500ms and 1250ms. Again, no significant AB emerged, but high MA participants responded more slowly overall, independent of stimulus type or exposure duration. Study 3 (n = 64) extended this by including math-unrelated negative words and neutral-neutral baseline trials to disentangle vigilance and disengagement components. No robust AB effects were found, although weak positive correlations appeared between MA and RTs in specific conditions. Overall, MA was consistently associated with slower RTs rather than selective attentional bias, suggesting a generalised reduction in processing efficiency. These findings challenge the assumption that MA is underpinned by a content-specific AB, instead indicating broader attentional inefficiency.