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Developmental gains in visuospatial memory predict gains in mathematics achievement
1Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Plos One
|August 13, 2013
Summary
Children with significant gains in visuospatial memory from first to fifth grade show better math performance. These developmental differences in visuospatial memory growth are crucial for math learning.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Visuospatial skills correlate with adult mathematical abilities.
- The relationship between visuospatial skills and children's math achievement is less clear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal relationship between visuospatial memory development and mathematics achievement in children.
- To determine if gains in visuospatial memory predict later math success.
Main Methods:
- Assessed math and reading achievement, working memory, and processing speed in 177 children (K-5).
- Measured intelligence in first grade and attentive behavior (grades 2-4).
- Analyzed developmental gains in visuospatial memory, central executive capacity, and phonological memory.
Main Results:
- Developmental gains were largest in visuospatial memory (d=2.4), followed by central executive (d=1.6) and phonological memory (d=1.1).
- Gains in visuospatial memory and numeral processing speed predicted fifth-grade math achievement.
- First-grade central executive scores, intelligence, and attentive behavior also predicted math achievement.
Conclusions:
- Significant individual differences exist in the growth rate of visuospatial memory during childhood.
- These differences in visuospatial memory development become increasingly important for mathematics learning over time.
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