What counts in preschool number knowledge? A Bayes factor analytic approach toward theoretical model development

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics Education

Background:

• Individual differences in preschool numerical knowledge significantly predict later math achievement.
• Understanding the cognitive and linguistic factors influencing early number sense is crucial for educational interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key cognitive and linguistic predictors of individual differences in preschool children's symbolic number knowledge.
• To determine the relative importance of number-specific versus general cognitive and language abilities in early numerical development.

Main Methods:

• Employed data-driven Bayesian model comparison and selection strategies on multiple regression models.
• Assessed a range of cognitive abilities (e.g., working memory, executive conflict processing) and linguistic skills (e.g., count list knowledge, letter/word knowledge).
• Measured nonverbal approximate numerical ability in preschool children.

Main Results:

• Five variables uniquely explained individual differences in symbolic number knowledge: count list knowledge, nonverbal approximate numerical ability, working memory, executive conflict processing, and letter/word knowledge.
• Knowledge of the count list and nonverbal approximate numerical ability were more influential than general cognitive and language abilities.
• This suggests a significant contribution of number-specific skills to early numerical learning.

Conclusions:

• Preschool children utilize a combination of number-specific, general cognitive, and language abilities for learning symbolic numbers.
• Number-specific abilities, such as count list knowledge and approximate number sense, appear to be particularly powerful drivers of early numerical development.
• Findings highlight the importance of targeting number-specific skills in early mathematics education.