The interplay of cognition and affect in fourth graders’ math performance: role of working memory in mediating the effects of math anxiety and math interest on arithmetic fluency

Working memory (WM) capacity may influence students’ math performance together with their affective experiences, such as math anxiety (MA) and math interest. It has also been suggested that the influence of affect on performance might go through WM. The negative relationship between MA and math performance is well-established, and some studies have found WM to mediate this association. However, little is known, first, about the relationship between WM and math interest, and second, about the potential mediating effect of WM between interest and math performance. This study examined the direct and mediated effects of MA and interest through WM on fourth graders’ (N = 332) performance in arithmetic fluency while controlling for generalised anxiety. Findings from structural equation modelling showed MA to predict performance negatively, while the effects of WM and interest were positive. There was a negative indirect effect from MA through WM on performance indicating partial mediation, while a corresponding, but positive, effect was not found for interest. Our results suggest that while both negative and positive affective experiences are related to math performance, the role of WM in explaining this link may be more pronounced regarding MA than interest.