The effect of home math activities on mathematical abilities in preschool children: The mediating effect of spontaneous focusing on numerosity

IF 1.9 3区心理学 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-23 DOI:10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101689

Hui Qiao , Fang Tian

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A substantial body of research has established a correlation between the early home math environment and children’s mathematical abilities, yet findings regarding its core component—home math activities—remain inconsistent. Furthermore, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of this relationship, particularly concerning the potential role of domain-specific cognitive tendencies such as children’s spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON)—a specific propensity within numerical cognition. This study investigated the association between home math activities, SFON, and preschool children’s mathematical abilities, while also analyzing the mediating role of SFON in this relationship. A total of 133 preschoolers (M_age = 4 years and 5 months, SD = 5 months) and their parents (85 % mothers) participated in this research. Parents reported the frequency of home math activities, and children completed assessments of SFON and mathematical abilities. Results showed that: (1) home math activities were positively associated with children’s mathematical abilities; (2) home math activities were positively associated with children’s SFON; (3) SFON was positively associated with mathematical abilities; and (4) SFON appeared to partially mediate the association between home math activities and mathematical abilities, with the indirect effect accounting for 23.08 % of the total association. This study examined the potential mediating role of SFON in the relation between home math activities and children’s mathematical abilities, suggesting an extension to the developmental model of how the home math environment relates to mathematical abilities.

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家庭数学活动对学龄前儿童数学能力的影响：自发关注数的中介作用

大量的研究已经建立了早期家庭数学环境与儿童数学能力之间的相关性，然而关于其核心组成部分——家庭数学活动——的发现仍然不一致。此外，对这种关系的潜在机制知之甚少，特别是关于特定领域认知倾向的潜在作用，例如儿童自发关注数字(SFON) -一种数字认知中的特定倾向。本研究探讨了家庭数学活动、小学生数学能力与学龄前儿童数学能力的关系，并分析了小学生数学能力在这一关系中的中介作用。共133名学龄前儿童（Mage = 4岁5个月，SD = 5个月）及其父母（85% %为母亲）参与了本研究。家长报告了家庭数学活动的频率，孩子们完成了SFON和数学能力的评估。结果表明：(1)家庭数学活动与幼儿数学能力呈正相关；(2)家庭数学活动与儿童SFON呈正相关；(3) SFON与数学能力呈正相关；(4)家庭数学活动对数学能力有部分中介作用，间接效应占总关联的23.08% %。本研究探讨了家庭数学环境在家庭数学活动与儿童数学能力关系中的潜在中介作用，为家庭数学环境与儿童数学能力的关系发展模型提供了一个延伸。

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.