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The association between children's numerical magnitude processing and mental multi-digit subtraction.
Sarah Linsen1, Lieven Verschaffel1, Bert Reynvoet1
1Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.
Acta Psychologica
|December 4, 2013
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Mathematics Education
Background:
- Children employ diverse strategies for mental multi-digit subtraction.
- Strategy efficiency can be linked to numerical magnitude processing abilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between numerical magnitude processing and children's mental multi-digit subtraction.
- To determine if numerical magnitude processing is crucial for specific subtraction strategies like indirect addition.
Main Methods:
- Children completed symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical magnitude tasks (comparison, number line estimation).
- A multi-digit subtraction task was administered, with specific items designed to prompt indirect addition.
- Partial correlational analyses controlled for intellectual ability and motor speed.
Main Results:
- Significant associations were found between numerical magnitude processing and mental multi-digit subtraction.
- Numerical magnitude processing was particularly vital for subtraction problems where indirect addition is most efficient.
- Stronger associations emerged from symbolic numerical tasks, especially magnitude comparison.
Conclusions:
- Numerical magnitude processing plays a key role in children's mental multi-digit subtraction, particularly for efficient strategy use.
- Symbolic numerical magnitude processing, especially comparison, is strongly linked to successful mental subtraction in children.
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