کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
917900 | 1473465 | 2016 | 14 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
• Executive function (EF) is an important factor for mathematical understanding.
• A significant relation was found between EF and general math abilities.
• Causal exploration suggested younger children worst if EF demand is high.
• Older children perform well on math tasks when EF demands are both high and low.
Executive function (EF) has been highlighted as a potentially important factor for mathematical understanding. The relation has been well established in school-aged children but has been less explored at younger ages. The current study investigated the relation between EF and mathematics in preschool-aged children. Participants were 142 typically developing 3- and 4-year-olds. Controlling for verbal ability, a significant positive correlation was found between EF and general math abilities in this age group. Importantly, we further examined this relation causally by varying the EF load on a magnitude comparison task. Results suggested a developmental pattern where 3-year-olds’ performance on the magnitude comparison task was worst when EF was taxed the most. Conversely, 4-year-olds performed well on the magnitude task despite varying EF demands, suggesting that EF might play a critical role in the development of math concepts.
Journal: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology - Volume 147, July 2016, Pages 126–139