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Approximate multiplication in young children prior to multiplication instruction
Chuyan Qu1, Emily Szkudlarek1, Elizabeth M Brannon1
1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|March 7, 2021
Summary
Children possess an intuitive grasp of multiplication before formal instruction, utilizing their approximate number system (ANS). This innate ability aids in developing symbolic math skills and can inform educational strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Mathematics Education
Background:
- Children exhibit an untrained ability for approximate calculation via the approximate number system (ANS).
- Prior research demonstrates children's capacity for mental doubling or halving of discrete object arrays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if children can perform approximate multiplication before formal instruction.
- To determine if children can flexibly attend to both multiplier and multiplicand in multiplication tasks.
Main Methods:
- Presenting 5- to 8-year-olds with nonsymbolic (dot arrays) and symbolic (Arabic numerals) multiplicands.
- Using nonsymbolic multipliers and having children compare imagined products with a visible quantity.
- Assessing performance on approximate multiplication tasks using varying ratios between imagined products and comparison targets.
Main Results:
- Children demonstrated above-chance accuracy in both nonsymbolic and symbolic approximate multiplication.
- Performance was contingent on the ratio between the imagined product and the comparison target.
- Success in approximate multiplication was observed even in children unable to solve basic symbolic multiplication equations.
Conclusions:
- Children possess an intuitive understanding of multiplication independent of formal symbolic instruction.
- Approximate multiplication performance is linked to the Weber fraction and contributes to symbolic math competence.
- Findings suggest leveraging intuitive arithmetic can scaffold symbolic math learning in educational interventions.
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