Specific Preschool Executive Functions Predict Unique Aspects of Mathematics Development: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Early mathematical skills are foundational for academic success.
• Executive functions (EF) are crucial cognitive processes that develop in early childhood.
• Understanding the relationship between EF and early math is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the factor structure of executive functions in 5-year-olds influences early quantity-number competencies.
• To determine the impact of specific executive functions on arithmetic fluency and mathematics achievement in first and second grades.
• To elucidate the distinct roles of updating, inhibition, and shifting in developing numerical understanding.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis was used to establish the factor structure of executive functions in 244 five-year-olds.
• Structural equation modeling analyzed the influence of executive functions on numerical competencies and math achievement.
• Longitudinal assessment of mathematics school achievement throughout first and second grades.

Main Results:

• Updating emerged as a distinct first factor, significantly influencing rote-based number word sequence knowledge.
• Inhibition and shifting formed a combined second factor, significantly impacting quantity-to-number word linkages.
• Specific executive functions demonstrated differential support for various aspects of early numerical foundations.

Conclusions:

• Executive functions play a critical, specific role in the development of early mathematical abilities.
• Updating supports basic numerical encoding, while inhibition and shifting foster deeper numerical understanding.
• Targeting specific executive functions may enhance early mathematics education and outcomes.