Ashcraft

Faculty

Mark H. Ashcraft, Ph.D.

Professor
Department Chair

Email:

mark.ashcraft@unlv.edu

Phone:

(702) 895-3305

Accepting Graduate Students 2008-2009: YES

Research Interests

Mark Ashcraft investigates issues in mathematical cognition, asking questions such as "What do people know about numbers, arithmetic, and math?" and "How do we learn math?" His research examines the mental processes that people use to solve math problems, from answering basic facts (e. g., 2 + 3 = ?) to more complex problems that include procedures such as carrying or borrowing (e. g., 231 - 178 = ?). To examine the development of these skills and abilities, his research includes school-age children, adolescents, and adults. A second, related area of his research investigates how math skills and attitudes influence those mental processes. Specifically, he examines the influence of motivation, experience, and anxiety on math performance (e. g., Do math anxious individuals not learn as efficiently, or are their difficulties limited to performance situations?). In addition to these topics, another research interest of Dr. Ashcraft is in the area of federal regulation of human subjects research.

Dr. Ashcraft's 1975 Ph.D. is in cognitive psychology from the University of Kansas.

Selected Publications

Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Working memory, math performance, and math anxiety. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 243-248.

Ashcraft, M. H., & Krause, J. A. (2007). Social and behavioral researchers' experiences with their IRBs. Ethics & Behavior, 17, 1-17.

Ashcraft, M. H., Krause, J. A., & Hopko, D. R. (2007). Is math anxiety a mathematical learning disability? In D. B. Berch & M. M. M. Mazzocco (Eds.), Why is math so hard for some children? The nature and origins of mathematical learning difficulties and disabilities (pp. 329-348). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Ashcraft, M. H., & Ridley, K. S. (2005). Math anxiety and its cognitive consequences. In J. I. D. Campbell (Ed.), Handbook of mathematical cognition (pp. 315-327). New York: Psychology Press.

Seyler, D. J., Kirk, E. P., & Ashcraft, M. H. (2003). Elementary subtraction. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 29, 1339-1352.

Ashcraft, M. H. (2002). Math anxiety: Personal, educational, and cognitive consequences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 181-185.

Kirk, E. P., & Ashcraft, M. H. (2001). Telling stories: The perils and promise of using verbal reports to study math strategies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 27, 157-175.

Ashcraft, M. H., & Kirk, E. P. (2001). The relationships among working memory, math anxiety, and performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 224-237.