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Mental arithmetic skill development in primary school: The importance of number processing abilities and general
Ulf Träff1, Rickard Östergren1, Kenny Skagerlund1
1Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Campus Valla, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|December 27, 2024
Summary
Early math skills rely on different abilities. While performance uses number and cognitive skills, development specifically needs verbal working memory, showing distinct underlying factors.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Understanding the foundational skills for early arithmetic is crucial for educational interventions.
- Distinguishing between factors influencing arithmetic performance and those driving skill development is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the cognitive and numerical abilities underpinning early mental arithmetic learning (skill development).
- To compare these underlying abilities with those supporting early arithmetic performance.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 265 children on counting knowledge, symbolic magnitude comparison, number line estimation, logical reasoning, verbal working memory, spatial processing, phonological processing, and general processing speed.
- Utilized a latent change score model to analyze longitudinal data from first to second grade.
Main Results:
- Arithmetic performance was supported by counting knowledge, number line estimation, logical reasoning, spatial processing, phonological processing, and general processing speed.
- Arithmetic development (skill change) was uniquely supported by verbal working memory.
Conclusions:
- The cognitive and numerical abilities supporting arithmetic performance differ from those supporting its development.
- Early arithmetic performance relies on a blend of number and cognitive skills, while development is primarily driven by verbal working memory.
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