Early Predictors for Basic Numerical and Magnitude Competencies in Preschool Children—Are They the Same or Different regarding Specific Subgroups?

Pixner, Silvia; Kraut, Christina; Dresen, Verena

doi:10.4236/psych.2017.82016

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…However, in the present study, visuospatial abilities were not a relevant predictor for children’s understanding of the cardinality of small numbers. This seems to be in contrast to the findings of Pixner et al (2017) who observed an association between visuospatial abilities and basic numerical competencies in kindergartners. Yet, a closer look at the study reveals at least two possible reasons for these differences.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Second, these differential results may be related to the age of the present sample. Children in our study were on average 1.6 years younger than those assessed in the study of Pixner et al (2017) . Therefore, one might speculate that visuospatial abilities only gain significance for numerical development at a later point in time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

“…Yet, a closer look at the study reveals at least two possible reasons for these differences. First, in the present study we specifically focused on investigating children’s understanding of the cardinality of small numbers, whereas Pixner et al (2017) measured a broader concept of basic numerical abilities. Second, these differential results may be related to the age of the present sample.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from language abilities, there is also compelling evidence suggesting that visuospatial skills may be associated with children’s numerical development (e.g., Ansari et al, 2003 ; Gunderson et al, 2012 ; LeFevre et al, 2013 ; Patro et al, 2014 ; Pixner et al, 2017 for a review on spatial-numerical association in preliterate children; see Newcombe et al, 2015 for a review on the intertwined development of spatial and numerical skills). This seems reasonable as Newcombe et al (2015) argue that space and number have a mutual basis, i.e., the generalized magnitude system that is resorted to both simple spatial and numerical tasks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differential Development of Children’s Understanding of the Cardinality of Small Numbers and Zero

2018

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Counting and the understanding of cardinality are important steps in children’s numerical development. Recent studies have indicated that language and visuospatial abilities play an important role in the development of children’s cardinal knowledge of small numbers. However, predictors for the knowledge about zero were usually not considered in these studies. Therefore, the present study investigated whether the acquisition of cardinality knowledge on small numbers and the concept of zero share cross-domain and domain-specific numerical predictors. Particular interest was paid to the question whether visuospatial abilities – in addition to language abilities – were associated with children’s understanding of small numbers and zero. Accordingly, we assessed kindergarteners aged 4 to 5 years in terms of their understanding of small numbers and zero as well as their visuospatial, general language, counting, Arabic number identification abilities, and their finger number knowledge. We observed significant zero-order correlations of vocabulary, number identification, finger knowledge, and counting abilities with children’s knowledge about zero as well as understanding of the cardinality of small numbers. Subsequent regression analyses substantiated the influences of counting abilities on knowledge about zero and the influences of both counting abilities and finger knowledge on children’s understanding of the cardinality of small numbers. No significant influences of cross-domain predictors were observed. In sum, these results indicate that domain-specific numerical precursor skills seem to be more important for children’s development of an understanding of the cardinality of small numbers as well as of the concept of zero than the more proximal cross-domain abilities such as language and visuospatial abilities.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differential Development of Children’s Understanding of the Cardinality of Small Numbers and Zero

2018

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“…They use their hands to touch objects during counting, but they also use their fingers as a counting aid when learning about number words and remembering the counting sequence (Lafay et al, 2013). As an important basic numerical skill, counting is strongly associated with children's development of mathematical skills later in life (Pixner et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Implicit Contribution of Fine Motor Skills to Mathematical Insight in Early Childhood

2020

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Understanding number magnitude is an important prerequisite for children's mathematical development. One early experience that contributes to this understanding is the common practice of finger counting. Recent research suggested that through repeated finger counting, children internalize their fingers as representations of number magnitude. Furthermore, finger counting habits have been proposed to predict concurrent and future mathematical performance. However, little is known about how finger-based number representations are formed and by which processes they could influence mathematical development. Regarding the emergence of fingerbased number representations, it is likely that they result from repeated practice of finger counting. Accordingly, children need sufficient fine motor skills (FMS) to successfully count on their fingers. However, the role that different types of FMS (such as dexterity and graphomotor skills) might play in the development of fingerbased number representations is still unknown. In the current study, we investigated (a) whether children's FMS (dexterity and graphomotor skills) are associated with their emerging finger-based number representations (ordinal and cardinal), (b) whether FMS explain variance in children's finger-based number representations beyond the influence of general cognitive skills, and (c) whether the association between FMS and numerical skills is mediated by finger-based representations. We tested associations between preschool children's (N = 80) FMS (dexterity and graphomotor skills), finger-based number representations, and numerical skills. Furthermore, visuospatial working memory and nonverbal intelligence were controlled for. Dexterity was related to children's finger-based number representations as well as numerical skills after controlling for chronological age, but not after also controlling for cognitive skills. Moreover, the relationship between dexterity and numerical skills was mediated by finger-based number representations. No such associations were observed for graphomotor skills. These results suggest that dexterity plays a role in children's development of finger-based number representations, which in turn contribute to their numerical skills. Possible explanations are discussed.

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Mastery of structured quantities like finger or dice patterns predict arithmetic performance

et al. 2020

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In the present study, we investigated whether structured quantities like finger or dice patterns are enumerated better than unstructured quantities because they may not require counting. Moreover, we hypothesized children's mastery of structured quantities to predict their later arithmetic performance longitudinally. In particular, we expected that children more proficient in enumerating structured quantities early in their numerical development, should develop more effective calculation strategies later because they may rely on counting less. Therefore, we conducted a longitudinal study (including 116 children, 58 girls) over the course of about 7 months from preschool (at about 6 years of age) to the middle of first grade. Results showed that structured quantities were indeed enumerated more accurately and faster than unstructured quantities in preschool. Additionally, we observed significant associations of enumeration of structured and unstructured with children's addition performance in first grade. However, regression analysis indicated only enumeration of structured but not unstructured quantities to significantly predict later addition performance. In sum, this longitudinal study clearly indicates that mastery of structured quantities seems to be beneficial for children's development of basic arithmetic abilities.

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Early Predictors for Basic Numerical and Magnitude Competencies in Preschool Children—Are They the Same or Different regarding Specific Subgroups?

Cited by 9 publications

References 34 publications

Differential Development of Children’s Understanding of the Cardinality of Small Numbers and Zero

Differential Development of Children’s Understanding of the Cardinality of Small Numbers and Zero

The Implicit Contribution of Fine Motor Skills to Mathematical Insight in Early Childhood

Mastery of structured quantities like finger or dice patterns predict arithmetic performance

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