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Spatial complexity of character-based writing systems and arithmetic in primary school: a longitudinal study.
Maja Rodic1, Tatiana Tikhomirova2, Tatiana Kolienko3
1InLab, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK ; Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychology, Tomsk State University Tomsk, Russia.
Frontiers in Psychology
|April 11, 2015
Summary
Spatial ability is linked to math skills in children. However, learning a character-based writing system, like Chinese, did not significantly boost math performance in this study.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Consistent associations between spatial and mathematical abilities are well-documented.
- East Asian children often show a mathematical advantage, potentially linked to their writing systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if spatial ability predicts mathematical ability in 6-9-year-old children.
- To determine if learning character-based writing systems confers a mathematical advantage.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 721 children (UK and Russian) aged 6-9.
- Assessed cognitive skills and arithmetic before and after a school year.
- Russian children were learning various second languages, including Chinese.
Main Results:
- Spatial ability predicted mathematical ability in the Russian sample.
- Second language acquisition showed negligible effects on math and cognitive skills.
- A potential minor effect of Chinese language on mathematical reasoning was observed.
Conclusions:
- Spatial ability is related to mathematical ability in young children.
- A year of exposure to complex writing systems did not yield a significant math advantage.
- Socio-cultural and educational factors likely play a larger role in cross-cultural math differences.
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