Development of arithmetic across the lifespan: A registered report

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Arithmetic skills are essential throughout life, but the underlying cognitive processes change with age.
• Domain-specific numerical abilities develop early, while domain-general cognitive functions like working memory decline in older adulthood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the lifespan changes in domain-specific (number magnitude, place-value processing) and domain-general (working memory, processing speed, inhibition) processes underlying arithmetic.
• To analyze how arithmetic and numerical effects (e.g., carry, borrow, distance, compatibility) are influenced by aging.

Main Methods:

• Assessed arithmetic effects (carry, borrow), numerical effects (distance, compatibility), and cognitive skills across diverse age groups: children, adolescents, and adults (young, middle-aged, older).

Main Results:

• Numerical and arithmetic skills improve until young adulthood and stabilize thereafter.
• Number magnitude processing declines in older adults, while place-value processing remains intact.
• The 'carry' effect becomes more continuous with age, whereas the 'borrow' effect remains categorical.

Conclusions:

• Arithmetic skills rely on both developing domain-specific and aging domain-general cognitive processes.
• Place-value processing is a robust skill maintained into old age, unlike working memory and processing speed.