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Updated: May 23, 2026
10:58
Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)
Published on: August 28, 2021
The cognitive underpinnings of emerging mathematical skills: executive functioning, patterns, numeracy, and
Kerry Lee1, Swee Fong Ng, Madeline Lee Pe
1National Institute of Education, Singapore. Kerry.Lee@nie.edu.sg
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|March 21, 2012
Summary
For 6-year-olds, executive functioning, specifically updating skills, is key for mathematical pattern tasks, not just numeracy or arithmetic proficiency alone.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Educational Psychology
- Mathematics Education
Background:
- Mathematical pattern tasks are crucial for algebraic thinking.
- Limited research exists on cognitive factors influencing early pattern task performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate domain-specific (numerical/arithmetic) and domain-general (executive functioning) predictors of pattern task performance.
- Examine the relationship between early math skills and pattern task abilities in young children.
Main Methods:
- 163 six-year-olds participated.
- Assessed executive functioning (updating, inhibition, switching), numerical/arithmetic proficiency, and pattern tasks.
- Utilized structural equation modeling to analyze relationships.
Main Results:
- Executive functioning measures formed two factors: updating and inhibition/switch.
- Only the updating factor significantly predicted pattern task performance.
- No direct or independent relationship was found between pattern tasks and numerical/arithmetic proficiency.
Conclusions:
- Shared updating demands likely explain correlations between pattern, numeracy, and arithmetic tasks.
- For 6-year-olds, strong numerical/arithmetic skills alone do not guarantee better pattern task performance without enhanced updating capacities.
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