Numerical Cognition - Numbers, Maths Anxiety and Beyond
Listen to full episode :
If you're curious about the complexities of cognitive psychology and want to learn more about how we perceive numbers and deal with maths anxiety, this episode with Dr. Mila Marinova from University of Luxembourg is a must-listen.
One of the key points discussed was the prevalent issue of maths anxiety, which affects many individuals and often leads to a fear of mathematical tasks. Mila highlighted that maths anxiety is distinct from general anxiety and can significantly hinder one's performance in mathematics.
We also explored the impact of language on learning, especially in a multilingual context like Luxembourg. Mila noted that language proficiency is crucial for mastering mathematical concepts, as many students struggle when they are not fluent in the language of instruction. This is particularly relevant for children who are learning to count and understand numbers, as their grasp of these concepts can be influenced by their linguistic abilities.
As Mila is also an experienced science communicator, we talked in general about cognitive psychology and the inspirations for her posts on Instagram. Make sure you have time to listen to this amazing episode!
USEFUL LINKS
Mila's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mila.marinova/
Mila's Website: https://milamarinova.com/
David Eagleman's "Livewired" - https://eagleman.com/books/livewired/
Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Luxembourg - https://www.uni.lu/fhse-en/research-departments/department-of-behavioural-and-cognitive-sciences/
RELATED EPISODES
Maths - That Word You Shouldn’t Mention with Prof. Bruno Teheux
REFERENCES
And a non-exhaustive list of references for those that want to know more:
Carey, S., & Barner, D. (2019). Ontogenetic origins of human integer representations. Trends in cognitive sciences, 23(10), 823-835.
Cheung, P., Bourque, T., Ang, D., & Merkley, R. (2025). Early number acquisition in bilingual children. Cognitive Development, 73, 101541.
Cipora, K., Santos, F. H., Kucian, K., & Dowker, A. (2022). Mathematics anxiety—where are we and where shall we go?. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1513(1), 10-20.
Greisen, M., Georges, C., Hornung, C., Sonnleitner, P., & Schiltz, C. (2021). Learning mathematics with shackles: How lower reading comprehension in the language of mathematics instruction accounts for lower mathematics achievement in speakers of different home languages. Acta Psychologica, 221, 103456.
Núñez, R. E. (2017). Is there really an evolved capacity for number?. Trends in cognitive sciences, 21(6), 409-424.
Sarnecka, B.W. Learning to represent exact numbers. Synthese 198 (Suppl 5), 1001–1018 (2021).
Schiltz, C., Lachelin, R., Hilger, V., & Marinova, M. (2024). Thinking about numbers in different tongues: An overview of the influences of multilingualism on numerical and mathematical competencies. Psychological Research, 1-16.
Schneider, R. M., Sullivan, J., Marušič, F., Biswas, P., Mišmaš, P., Plesničar, V., & Barner, D. (2020). Do children use language structure to discover the recursive rules of counting?. Cognitive psychology, 117, 101263.
Testolin, A., Hou, K., & Zorzi, M. (2024). Visual enumeration is challenging for large-scale generative ai. arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.03328.
Vos, H., Marinova, M., De Léon, S. C., Sasanguie, D., & Reynvoet, B. (2023). Gender differences in young adults' mathematical performance: Examining the contribution of working memory, math anxiety and gender-related stereotypes. Learning and Individual Differences, 102, 102255.