Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development

During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...

Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development

The preoperational stage, the second of Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development, spans approximately ages 2 to 7 and is characterized by the emergence of symbolic thinking. During this stage, children use language, images, and symbols to represent objects and concepts, enabling them to engage in imaginative and pretend play. This symbolic thinking supports children's ability to perform make-believe actions, such as imagining a broom as a horse or their hand as a phone, blending...

Information Processing Approach

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...

Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Stage 4 of Cognitive Development

The formal operational stage, as described in Piaget's cognitive development theory, begins around age 11 and extends into adulthood. It marks the emergence of advanced cognitive abilities that differentiate adolescent and adult thinking from those of younger children. This stage is characterized by abstract reasoning, hypothetical-deductive reasoning, and a more complex understanding of self and others.
Abstract Reasoning and Hypothetical-Deductive Thinking
Unlike the concrete operational...

Mathematical Induction

Mathematical Induction

Mathematical induction is a structured method of proof used to confirm the truth of statements involving natural numbers. Consider the sum of the first n natural numbers:This formula describes a pattern that appears to hold true as more terms are added. To verify that it is valid for all natural numbers, mathematical induction proceeds in two essential steps. The first is the base case, where the formula is tested for the initial value, typically n = 1. Substituting into both sides confirms the...

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are themselves.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Attention and social problems are uniquely associated with academic achievement beyond overall psychopathology: multicohort replication in 3,800 participants.

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines·2026

Same author

Early Identification of Children at Risk for Long-Term Difficulties with Mathematics Learning and Innumeracy in Adolescence.

Journal of pediatric neuropsychology·2026

Same author

Presence of a friend is associated with progesterone response after social exclusion.

Psychoneuroendocrinology·2026

Same author

Biological and cultural influences on the expression of sex differences: Commentary on Costello et al. (2026).

The American psychologist·2026

Same author

Parental mathematics anxiety predicts children's cardinal number word and numeral knowledge at preschool entry.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2025

Same author

Complexity of parental number talk predicts preschoolers' gains in cardinal knowledge.

Scientific reports·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Published on: August 28, 2021

Mathematical cognition in intellectually precocious first graders.

Mary K Hoard¹, David C Geary, Jennifer Byrd-Craven

¹Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-2500, USA. hoardm@missouri.edu

Developmental Neuropsychology

|May 14, 2008

Summary

Intellectually precocious children excel in working memory and math strategies compared to typical peers. Working memory significantly influences their advanced mathematical skills, particularly in number line estimation and addition problem-solving.

More Related Videos

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Published on: July 18, 2020

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Published on: August 28, 2021

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Published on: July 18, 2020

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Cognitive Development
Educational Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Intellectual precocity is associated with advanced cognitive abilities.
Working memory is crucial for complex cognitive tasks, including mathematics.
Understanding the cognitive underpinnings of precocious mathematical ability is important.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare working memory, processing speed, and mathematical skills between intellectually precocious and typical children.
To investigate the role of working memory in the mathematical advantages observed in precocious children.
To examine how different working memory components contribute to mathematical task performance.

Main Methods:

Administered a working memory battery and speed of processing measures to both groups.
Assessed number line estimation skills and addition problem-solving strategies.
Utilized statistical analyses to control for group differences in working memory.

Main Results:

Precocious children demonstrated superior working memory across all components.
Precocious children employed more mature strategies for number line estimation and addition.
Speed of processing did not differ between groups.
Working memory differences largely accounted for the mathematical advantages of precocious children.

Conclusions:

Working memory is a key factor underlying the mathematical proficiency of intellectually precocious children.
Specific components of working memory differentially contribute to mathematical skills.
These findings highlight the critical role of working memory in advanced mathematical cognition.