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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics BM-PROMA
Published on: August 28, 2021
The longitudinal contribution of mapping to arithmetic: Do numeral knowledge, inhibition or analogical reasoning
Kaichun Liu1, Haoping Qu2, Yawei Yang3
1Department of Sports and Heath Education, Wuxi Vocational Institute of Commerce, Wuxi, China.
Background:
Recent studies have revealed the association between mapping and arithmetic (Ferres-Forga et al., J. Numer. Cogn., 8, 2022, 123; LeFevre et al., J. Numer. Cogn., 8, 2022, 1).
Aim:
The underlying mechanism remains unclear.
Materials & Methods:
The current study recruited 118 kindergarten children and followed up on them three times at 6-month intervals. They completed measures to assess mapping skills (T1), non-verbal IQ (T1), numeral knowledge (T2), inhibitory control (T2), analogical reasoning (T2) and arithmetic (T3).
Results:
The results showed that mapping accounted for significant variance in arithmetic ability over and above age, gender and non-verbal IQ. Furthermore, analogical reasoning played an important role in the relationship between mapping and mathematics ability.
Discussion:
The findings suggest the association between mapping and mathematics ability prior to formal schooling.
Conclusion:
Analogical reasoning, rather than numeral knowledge or inhibitory control, may drive that association in young children.
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