Working memory and phonological processing as predictors of children's mathematical problem solving at different ages
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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)
Published on: August 28, 2021
1School of Education, Educational Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California 92028, USA. lee.swanson@ucr.edu
Abstract:
The study explored the contribution of working memory (WM) to mathematical problem solving in younger (8-year-old) and older (11-year-old) children. The results showed that (1) significant age-related differences in WM performance were maintained when measures of phonological processing (i.e., digit naming speed, short-term memory, phonological deletion) were partialed from the analysis; (2) WM predicted solution accuracy of word problems independently of measures of problem representation, knowledge of operations and algorithms, phonological processing, fluid intelligence, reading, and math skill; and (3) a second-order WM factor was correlated with problem solving, suggesting that a general or executive system underlies age-related performance. The results were interpreted as support for the notion that the executive system was an important predictor of age-related changes in problem solving beyond the contribution of math and reading skills, and this system operates independently of the phonological system and domain-specific knowledge in predicting solution accuracy.
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