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Representation and working memory in early arithmetic.

Carmen Rasmussen1, Jeffrey Bisanz

  • 1Centre for Research in Child Development, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9. carmen@ualberta.ca

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|May 14, 2005
PubMed
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Early math skills depend on working memory components. Preschoolers rely on visual-spatial working memory for nonverbal math, while first-graders use phonological working memory for verbal math. Both ages struggle with irrelevant information.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Educational Psychology

Background:

  • Working memory is crucial for early arithmetic skill acquisition.
  • The specific roles of different working memory components in arithmetic development remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationships between distinct working memory components (phonological, visual-spatial, central executive) and arithmetic performance in preschoolers and first-graders.
  • To examine how these relationships differ across age groups and arithmetic problem types (verbal, nonverbal, with irrelevant information).

Main Methods:

  • Preschool and Grade 1 children completed assessments of phonological, visual-spatial, and central executive working memory.
  • Children also solved nonverbal and verbal arithmetic problems, including those with extraneous information.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Preschoolers showed higher accuracy on nonverbal problems, with visual-spatial working memory being the primary predictor.
  • First-graders performed similarly on verbal and nonverbal problems, with phonological working memory predicting verbal arithmetic success.
  • Problems with irrelevant information were significantly harder for both age groups, with central executive measures sometimes predicting performance.

Conclusions:

  • Working memory's contribution to arithmetic skill development is multifaceted and age-dependent.
  • Visual-spatial working memory is key for early nonverbal arithmetic, shifting to phonological working memory for verbal arithmetic by Grade 1.
  • The central executive plays a role in managing cognitive load, especially when dealing with distracting information in arithmetic tasks.