The Effects of Colored Paper on Math Performance By Nestle N. Butler Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark Whatley, Department of Psychology
Article Abstract In a student’s academic career, few subjects generate as much anxiety as math (e.g., Carey et al., 2019). This anxiety can result in emotional reactions, such as fear of failure, and behavioral reactions, such as procrastination (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). This study examined whether different colors of printing paper might facilitate better math performance in students and their perception of difficulty. Participants’ math performance was measured by the number of correctly answered questions on a test of mathematical ability. Participants, 20 males and 20 females, answered 10 moderately challenging math questions on either blue or yellow colored paper. Participants then rated the difficulty of the questions overall. Contrary to prediction, participants who took the test on blue paper scored higher than those who took the test on yellow paper, but the differences were not significant. In the blue paper condition, both males and females rated the tests less difficult than those in the yellow paper condition, but the differences were not significant.
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