How executive function contributed to young children’s mathematical achievement: The differential role of non-symbolic and symbolic numerical representation

IF 1.8 3区心理学 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101545

Jingyi Zhang , Yu Zhang , Yue Qi, Chunying Gao, Zhuo Shen, Yinghe Chen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Growing attention was paid to how general cognitive skills and basic mathematical skills contribute to mathematical achievement. This study investigated the pathways from different executive function (EF) skills (i.e., visuospatial working memory, verbal working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility) to children’s mathematical achievement through non-symbolic and symbolic numerical representations. At the T1 session, 143 children (69 boys; M_age = 5 years 6 months, SD = 1 year 2 months) completed tasks assessing EF skills, including the forward mouse task, forward and backward digit span task, day-night Stroop task, and dimensional change card sort task. At the T2 session, they completed the dots comparison task, digits comparison task and Test of Early Mathematics Ability. The results indicated that children’s visuospatial working memory and inhibition were associated with future non-symbolic and symbolic numerical representation ability. Moreover, symbolic rather than non-symbolic numerical representation ability was associated with mathematical achievement. Symbolic numerical representation mediated the relationship between inhibition and children’s mathematical achievement. When controlling other variables, a direct relation was found between verbal working memory and future mathematical achievement. These findings shed light on the complicated processes from EF subcomponents and numerical representations to mathematical achievement.

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执行功能对幼儿数学成绩的影响：非符号和符号数字表征的不同作用

人们越来越关注一般认知技能和基本数学技能对数学成就的影响。本研究探讨了不同的执行功能技能（视觉空间工作记忆、言语工作记忆、抑制和认知灵活性）通过非符号和符号数字表征对儿童数学成绩的影响。在第1期，143名儿童(69名男孩；法师= 5岁6个月，SD = 1岁2个月)完成评估EF技能的任务，包括鼠标前进任务、向前和向后数字跨度任务、昼夜Stroop任务和维度变化卡片排序任务。在第二阶段，他们完成了点比较任务、数字比较任务和早期数学能力测试。结果表明，儿童的视觉空间工作记忆和抑制与未来非符号和符号数字表征能力有关。此外，符号而非非符号的数字表征能力与数学成就有关。符号数字表征在抑制与儿童数学成绩的关系中起中介作用。在控制其他变量的情况下，言语工作记忆与未来数学成绩之间存在直接关系。这些发现揭示了从EF子成分和数值表示到数学成就的复杂过程。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cognitive Development Multiple-

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

5.60%

发文量

114

期刊介绍： Cognitive Development contains the very best empirical and theoretical work on the development of perception, memory, language, concepts, thinking, problem solving, metacognition, and social cognition. Criteria for acceptance of articles will be: significance of the work to issues of current interest, substance of the argument, and clarity of expression. For purposes of publication in Cognitive Development, moral and social development will be considered part of cognitive development when they are related to the development of knowledge or thought processes.