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The Central Executive Mediates the Relationship Between Children's Approximate Number System Acuity and Arithmetic
Hongxia Li1, Mingliang Zhang1,2, Xiangyan Wang1
1School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 18, 2018
Summary
The central executive component of working memory mediates the link between approximate number system acuity and arithmetic strategy choice in children. This relationship is strongest for children with higher strategy utilization levels.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Research on working memory (WM) and approximate number system (ANS) acuity in relation to arithmetic strategy use is limited.
- Understanding the cognitive underpinnings of mathematical strategy selection is crucial for educational interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mediating role of working memory components, specifically the central executive (CE), in the relationship between ANS acuity and arithmetic strategy utilization.
- To examine how ANS acuity and CE influence strategy choice using quantile regression.
Main Methods:
- Employed the choice/no choice method paradigm to assess strategy utilization.
- Utilized quantile regression to analyze the relationship between ANS acuity, CE, and strategy choice across different distribution levels.
Main Results:
- The central executive (CE) significantly mediated the relationship between ANS acuity and strategy utilization.
- The association between CE and strategy choice was consistent across all quantiles.
- The link between ANS acuity and strategy choice was significant only at median and higher quantiles, suggesting a threshold effect.
Conclusions:
- Domain-general cognitive skills, like the central executive, are vital for connecting numerical abilities (ANS acuity) with mathematical strategy application.
- The influence of ANS acuity and CE on strategy selection is contingent on the overall level of strategy utilization, particularly for children with higher abilities.
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