# Mathematical problem solving is modulated by word priming

## TL;DR

This study shows that the emotional tone of words can influence how quickly and accurately people solve math problems.

## Contribution

The study reveals that both concrete and abstract word priming affect math performance differently based on word valence.

## Key findings

- Positive word priming improved accuracy in concrete word conditions when using a down-up strategy.
- Abstract word priming reduced reaction time regardless of valence but did not affect accuracy.
- Word valence modulates mathematical problem-solving performance depending on the type of word used.

## Abstract

This study aimed to explore the influence of word priming on mathematical problem solving. In two experiments, participants were required to finish multiplication estimation tasks with a specified estimation strategy under different word priming conditions (Experiment 1: concrete words vs. Experiment 2: abstract words). The results showed that: (1) under the concrete word priming condition, in comparison to neutral, positive word priming improved accuracies (ACCs) when using a down‐up strategy (e.g., doing 40 × 80 = 3200 for 43 × 78), while both positive and negative word priming reduced reaction time (RT); (2) under the abstract word priming condition, both positive and negative (vs. neutral) abstract word priming reduced RTs, while individuals’ ACCs of completing the estimation task were not influenced by valence. The present study showed that whether concrete words or abstract words were adopted as experimental stimuli, participants’ performance of completing mathematical problems was modulated by the valence of the priming word, which led us to develop a better understanding of how arithmetic performance is influenced by word processing.