Developmental Changes in ANS Precision Across Grades 1-9: Different Patterns of Accuracy and Reaction Time

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Development
• Numerical Cognition
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Approximate Number Sense (ANS) is crucial for mathematical abilities.
• Understanding ANS development across childhood and adolescence is essential for educational interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the longitudinal changes in Approximate Number Sense (ANS) precision from grade 1 to grade 9 in Russian schoolchildren.
• To investigate developmental trajectories of accuracy and reaction time in non-symbolic number comparison.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of two cohorts (grades 1-5 and 5-9).
• Assessment of ANS precision using accuracy and reaction time (RT) in a non-symbolic comparison task.
• Analysis of developmental patterns using mixed-effect growth models.

Main Results:

• Average accuracy increased non-linearly from grades 1-5, with growth slowing after grade 3.
• Accuracy increased from grades 7-9, with no change from grades 5-7 in the second cohort.
• Reaction time (RT) decreased linearly from grades 1-7, then stabilized from grades 7-9.
• Changes in non-symbolic processing speed were independent of general processing speed.
• Accuracy and RT were positively correlated, suggesting distinct developmental processes.

Conclusions:

• ANS precision shows distinct developmental patterns in accuracy and processing speed during school years.
• These findings highlight the maturation of the non-symbolic representation system.
• The study provides insights into the developmental trajectory of fundamental numerical cognition.