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Updated: May 27, 2026
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Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)
Published on: August 28, 2021
Inhibitory processes, working memory, phonological awareness, naming speed, and early arithmetic achievement
Jose I Navarro1, Manuel Aguilar, Concepcion Alcalde
1Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Rio San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. jose.navarro@uca.es
The Spanish Journal of Psychology
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Cognitive skills like executive functions and phonological processing are crucial for early math success in children. Deficits in these areas predict lower mathematical performance, highlighting the importance of the executive system in math learning.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Individual differences in early mathematical performance are significant.
- Cognitive processes including working memory, phonological awareness, and inhibitory control are theorized to influence math learning.
- The Baddeley multicomponent model provides a framework for understanding these cognitive underpinnings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific cognitive processes linked to variations in early mathematical abilities.
- To investigate the relationship between executive functions, phonological processing, inhibitory control, and early numeracy skills.
- To examine the predictive power of cognitive functions on mathematical performance in young children.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 424 typically developing children aged 4-7 years participated.
- Children completed a battery of cognitive tests assessing working memory, phonological awareness, naming speed, and inhibitory control.
- Early mathematical performance was measured using The Utrecht Early Numeracy Test.
Main Results:
- Children with poorer performance in central executive functions, phonological processing, and inhibitory control exhibited lower scores on early mathematical tasks.
- The executive system emerged as a significant predictor of mathematical performance.
- Specific cognitive deficits were associated with difficulties in early numeracy.
Conclusions:
- The executive system plays a critical role in predicting children's mathematical performance.
- Targeting executive functions and phonological processing may enhance early math learning.
- Cognitive profiling can inform interventions for children struggling with early mathematics.
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