Skills underlying mathematics: The role of executive function in the development of mathematics proficiency
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the literature to assess concurrent relationships between mathematics and executive function skills, and highlighted key theoretical issues within the field and identified future avenues for research, highlighting the role of executive function skill in the performance of mathematical calculations.
About: This article is published in Trends in Neuroscience and Education.The article was published on 2014-06-01 and is currently open access. It has received 374 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Skills management.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: It is empirically demonstrated that the symbolic number system is modulated more by development and education than the nonsymbolic system, and in contrast to the nonsedical system, the symbolic system ismodulated by language.
Abstract: Symbolic (ie, with Arabic numerals) approximate arithmetic with large numerosities is an important predictor of mathematics It was previously evidenced to onset before formal schooling at the kindergarten age (Gilmore et al, 2007) and was assumed to map onto pre-existing nonsymbolic (ie, abstract magnitudes) representations With a longitudinal study (Experiment 1), we show, for the first time, that nonsymbolic and symbolic arithmetic demonstrate different developmental trajectories In contrast to Gilmore et al’s (2007) findings, Experiment 1 showed that symbolic arithmetic onsets in grade 1, with the start of formal schooling, not earlier Gilmore et al (2007) had examined English-speaking children, whereas we assessed a large Dutch-speaking sample The Dutch language for numbers can be cognitively more demanding, for example, due to the inversion property in numbers above twenty Thus, for instance, the number 48 is named in Dutch “achtenveertig” (eight and forty) instead of “forty eight” To examine the effect of the language of numbers, we conducted a cross-cultural study with English- and Dutch-speaking children that had similar SES and math achievement skills (Experiment 2) Results demonstrated that Dutch-speaking kindergarteners lagged behind English-speaking children in symbolic arithmetic, not nonsymbolic and demonstrated a WM overload in symbolic arithmetic, not nonsymbolic Also, we show for the first time that the ability to name two-digit numbers highly correlates with symbolic approximate arithmetic not nonsymbolic Our experiments empirically demonstrate that the symbolic number system is modulated more by development and education than the nonsymbolic system Also, in contrast to the nonsymbolic system, the symbolic system is modulated by language
363 citations
Cites background from "Skills underlying mathematics: The ..."
...Nonsymbolic (Xenidou-Dervou et al., 2013, 2014) and symbolic approximation (Caviola et al., 2012; Xenidou-Dervou et al., 2013; Cragg and Gilmore, 2014) necessitate WM resources; especially the CE component of WM as defined by the well-known multicomponent model of WM (Baddeley, 1996, 2002)....
[...]
..., 2013, 2014) and symbolic approximation (Caviola et al., 2012; Xenidou-Dervou et al., 2013; Cragg and Gilmore, 2014) necessitate WM resources; especially the CE component of WM as defined by the well-known multicomponent model of WM (Baddeley, 1996, 2002)....
[...]
TL;DR: The conclusion is that there is not enough convincing evidence to support the number sense theory anymore, and researchers are encouraged not to assume that number sense is simply innate, but to put this hypothesis to the test and consider whether such an assumption is even testable in the light of the correlation of numerosity and continuous magnitudes.
Abstract: In this review, we are pitting two theories against each other: the more accepted theory, the number sense theory, suggesting that a sense of number is innate and non-symbolic numerosity is being processed independently of continuous magnitudes (e.g., size, area, and density); and the newly emerging theory suggesting that (1) both numerosities and continuous magnitudes are processed holistically when comparing numerosities and (2) a sense of number might not be innate. In the first part of this review, we discuss the number sense theory. Against this background, we demonstrate how the natural correlation between numerosities and continuous magnitudes makes it nearly impossible to study non-symbolic numerosity processing in isolation from continuous magnitudes, and therefore, the results of behavioral and imaging studies with infants, adults, and animals can be explained, at least in part, by relying on continuous magnitudes. In the second part, we explain the sense of magnitude theory and review studies that directly demonstrate that continuous magnitudes are more automatic and basic than numerosities. Finally, we present outstanding questions. Our conclusion is that there is not enough convincing evidence to support the number sense theory anymore. Therefore, we encourage researchers not to assume that number sense is simply innate, but to put this hypothesis to the test and consider whether such an assumption is even testable in the light of the correlation of numerosity and continuous magnitudes.
316 citations
Cites background from "Skills underlying mathematics: The ..."
...…and need to say “square” (Gilmore et al. 2013; Keller & Libertus 2015); the Stroop task with words or numbers (Bull & Scerif 2001; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole 2006); delayed response (Espy et al. 2004); peg tapping (Blair & Razza 2007); and many more (for a review see Cragg & Gilmore 2014)....
[...]
TL;DR: A systematic review of contemporary empirical studies on executive function is presented in this paper, which identifies both points of convergence and divergence, as well as issues with both the conceptualization and operationalization of executive function.
Abstract: Executive function is comprised of different behavioral and cognitive elements and is considered to play a significant role in learning and academic achievement. Educational researchers frequently study the construct. However, because of its complexity functionally, the research on executive function can at times be both confusing and contradictory. To attempt to bring some clarity to the construct, a systematic review of contemporary empirical studies was conducted. A PsycInfo database search was conducted and 106 empirical studies were selected for review. The analyses explored specific aspects of these studies such as how executive function is defined and measured, and in what domains and population groups is it studied. The resulting analyses identified both points of convergence and divergence, as well as issues with both the conceptualization and operationalization of executive function.
195 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic review of the literature studying the association between television viewing and children's executive function, academic performance, attention, language and play was conducted using five online databases.
151 citations
TL;DR: The extent to which executive function skills contribute to these three components of mathematical knowledge is investigated, whether this mediates the relationship between executive functions and overall mathematics achievement, and if these relationships change with age.
144 citations
Cites background from "Skills underlying mathematics: The ..."
..., 2004; Cowan, 1999; Engle et al., 1999; Unsworth & Engle, 2007). Comparatively little empirical work has investigated the role of domain-general skills in conceptual understanding however. Robinson and Dubé (2013) found that 8–10-year-old children with poorer inhibitory control were less likely to use a conceptually-based shortcut than children with good inhibitory control when presented with problems where such a strategy was possible....
[...]
...More recently, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated a link between domain-general executive functions and mathematics achievement (see Bull & Lee, 2014; Cragg & Gilmore, 2014 for reviews)....
[...]
References
More filters
TL;DR: This chapter demonstrates the functional importance of dopamine to working memory function in several ways and demonstrates that a network of brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, is critical for the active maintenance of internal representations.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the modern notion of short-term memory, called working memory. Working memory refers to the temporary maintenance of information that was just experienced or just retrieved from long-term memory but no longer exists in the external environment. These internal representations are short-lived, but can be maintained for longer periods of time through active rehearsal strategies, and can be subjected to various operations that manipulate the information in such a way that makes it useful for goal-directed behavior. Working memory is a system that is critically important in cognition and seems necessary in the course of performing many other cognitive functions, such as reasoning, language comprehension, planning, and spatial processing. This chapter demonstrates the functional importance of dopamine to working memory function in several ways. Elucidation of the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying human working memory is an important focus of cognitive neuroscience and neurology for much of the past decade. One conclusion that arises from research is that working memory, a faculty that enables temporary storage and manipulation of information in the service of behavioral goals, can be viewed as neither a unitary, nor a dedicated system. Data from numerous neuropsychological and neurophysiological studies in animals and humans demonstrates that a network of brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, is critical for the active maintenance of internal representations.
10,081 citations
"Skills underlying mathematics: The ..." refers methods in this paper
...The majority of studies addressing the role of working memory in mathematics are based on the working memory model of Baddeley and Hitch [8,9]....
[...]
...The majority of studies addressing the role of working memory in mathematics are based on the working memory model of Baddeley and Hitch (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 2010)....
[...]
[...]
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: A good development plan is not a simple document as discussed by the authors. To be powerful, it has to be built around a development model grounded in real-world experience and have to be carefully crafted to fit the needs of the person being developed.
Abstract: good development plan is not a simple document. To be powerful, it has to be builtaround a development model grounded inreal-world experience. It has to be carefullycrafted to fit the needs of the person being devel-oped. It has to include job assignments that buildleadership skills. And it has to be supported by theorganization and integrated into a development philosophy that views planning documents as thebeginning of the development journey, not the end.
2,827 citations
"Skills underlying mathematics: The ..." refers background in this paper
...Yet it is well established that there are complex relationships among these components (Baroody, 2003; Gilmore & PapadatouPastou, 2009)....
[...]
TL;DR: Results indicated that the various aspects of child self-regulation accounted for unique variance in the academic outcomes independent of general intelligence and that the inhibitory control aspect of executive function was a prominent correlate of both early math and reading ability.
Abstract: This study examined the role of self-regulation in emerging academic ability in one hundred and forty-one 3- to 5-year-old children from low-income homes. Measures of effortful control, false belief understanding, and the inhibitory control and attention-shifting aspects of executive function in preschool were related to measures of math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Results indicated that the various aspects of child self-regulation accounted for unique variance in the academic outcomes independent of general intelligence and that the inhibitory control aspect of executive function was a prominent correlate of both early math and reading ability. Findings suggest that curricula designed to improve self-regulation skills as well as enhance early academic abilities may be most effective in helping children succeed in school.
2,760 citations
"Skills underlying mathematics: The ..." refers background in this paper
...On the whole these studies have shown that EF skills do predict mathematics performance in subsequent years [2,13,37,48,49,70,94], however simply measuring performance at a later time point does not necessarily reflect the learning of new mathematical material....
[...]
TL;DR: The results suggest that EF component processes develop at different rates, and that it is important to recognize both the unity and diversity ofEF component processes in studying the development of EF.
1,453 citations
Additional excerpts
...continuing to develop into late adolescence [25,53,65]....
[...]
TL;DR: Correlational and regression analyses revealed that visual short-term and working memory were found to specifically predict math achievement at each time point, while executive function skills predicted learning in general rather than learning in one specific domain.
Abstract: This study examined whether measures of short-term memory, working memory, and executive functioning in preschool children predict later proficiency in academic achievement at 7 years of age (third year of primary school). Children were tested in preschool (M age = 4 years, 6 months) on a battery of cognitive measures, and mathematics and reading outcomes (from standardized, norm-referenced school-based assessments) were taken on entry to primary school, and at the end of the first and third year of primary school. Growth curve analyses examined predictors of math and reading achievement across the duration of the study and revealed that better digit span and executive function skills provided children with an immediate head start in math and reading that they maintained throughout the first three years of primary school. Visual-spatial short-term memory span was found to be a predictor specifically of math ability. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that visual short-term and working memory were found to specifically predict math achievement at each time point, while executive function skills predicted learning in general rather than learning in one specific domain. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to further understanding the role of cognitive skills in different mathematical tasks, and in relation to the impact of limited cognitive skills in the classroom environment.
1,414 citations