Development

What mental skills help nine-year-olds do math?

Szűcs D, Devine A, Soltesz F, et al. · Developmental science · 2014

Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC

General skills like visual memory, spatial ability, and executive processing predict mathematical ability in children, whereas a specialized 'number sense' does not.

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How this study connects

Role on claims

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SupportsExecutive Functionconcept
Core components of executive functioning, particularly working memory and cognitive flexibility, reliably predict early reading and mathematical achievements in childhood.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
SupportsWorking Memoryconcept
Working memory capacity is a significant predictor of academic outcomes, specifically in mathematics and reading.
Evidence for the claim as stated.

Study at a glance

Design: Cross-sectional — Single-session cognitive battery with permutation-tested correlations and regressions on math scores
N: N=98 · 51 girls and 47 boys from Year 3–4 classes in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Essex
Population: Typically developing 8–10-year-old UK primary-school children with reading standard score > 85
Outcome: Standardized mathematical achievement predicted by visuospatial STM, spatial ability, verbal IQ and switching, not by nonsymbolic number sense once those skills are controlled

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What mental skills help nine-year-olds do math?

These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.

98 children in the sample

Here we report data from 98 children recruited from Year 3 and Year 4 classes of schools in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in the United Kingdom.

normal reading skill threshold of a standard reading score greater than 85

Children with at least normal reading skill (standard reading score > 85) were invited to take part in the study from a sample of 1004 British children described in detail in .

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Key findings

They found that mathematical skill was strongly predicted by visual memory, spatial orientation, language decoding, verbal intelligence, and a task-switching test. Surprisingly, 'number sense' measures (like comparing dot quantities or symbols) did not reliably predict math performance once general cognitive skills were taken into account. Additionally, the cognitive model that successfully predicted math performance did not predict reading ability, showing that these mathematical predictors are highly specific.

Methodology

The researchers evaluated 98 children using a comprehensive suite of cognitive tests to determine what factors predict mathematical performance. They measured verbal and visual memory, language skills, spatial ability, general attention, and 'number sense' (such as comparing dot patterns). They then used advanced regression analysis to compare the predictive power of these different skills directly.

Limitations

The study only looked at a single age group of children, meaning these findings might not apply to younger children who are still learning basic number associations. Because the design is cross-sectional and correlational, it cannot prove that training visual memory or spatial skills will directly cause a child's math scores to improve. Furthermore, the researchers noted that their spatial orientation test was not standardized, meaning its reliability was not officially established. Finally, the study grouped overall mathematical ability together rather than examining different mathematical domains, such as geometry or algebra, which might rely on different cognitive skills.

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