Estimating the co-development of executive functions and math achievement throughout the elementary grades using a cross-lagged panel model with fixed effects

Zhang, Haobai; Miller‐Cotto, Dana; Jordan, Nancy C.

doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102126

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…For example, does whole number knowledge necessarily precede early fraction knowledge, or can learning about early fraction concepts like equal sharing or iterating to produce a whole help strengthen whole number knowledge? Longitudinal studies suggest that some math skills codevelop with other math or domain-general skills (e.g., Bailey et al, 2017; Cameron et al, 2019; Kahl et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2023), including symbolic fraction knowledge and math achievement (Hansen et al, 2017). Future studies with measurements at more frequent intervals using random intercept cross-lagged analyses or similar techniques would be valuable to investigate how early fraction knowledge, whole number knowledge, and overall math performance codevelop over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking informal fraction knowledge and its correlates across first grade.

Viegut

Resnick

Miller‐Cotto

et al. 2023

Developmental Psychology

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Young children have informal knowledge of fractions before learning about fraction symbols in school. In the current study, we followed 103 children in the Mid-Atlantic United States from the fall to the spring of first grade to characterize the development of individual differences in early informal fraction knowledge, as well as its relation to other mathematical and cognitive skills. Most children in our sample showed some early fraction knowledge at the beginning of first grade, especially with nonsymbolic fractions and halving, and this knowledge improved over the school year without explicit instruction in fractions. However, there were large individual differences in early fraction knowledge at the start of first grade, which explained significant variance in math achievement at the end of first grade, even when controlling for whole number knowledge and a variety of cognitive skills. Start-of-year whole number knowledge, but not spatial scaling or proportional reasoning, also predicted early end-of-year fraction knowledge. These data can inform activities for learning in the early years to foster both early fraction and integer knowledge in parallel, which may better prepare students for later formal instruction in fractions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking informal fraction knowledge and its correlates across first grade.

Viegut

Resnick

Miller‐Cotto

et al. 2023

Developmental Psychology

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“…Gordon et al, 2020). This issue is compounded by the different models and their subsequent application in educational and developmental research A SPICY TAKE ON WORKING MEMORY 9 (e.g., Miller-Cotto & Byrnes, 2020;Zhang et al, 2023). To that end, we summarize how various fields conceptualize working memory, adding to this profound problem.…”

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the construct emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, coinciding with the rise of the IP paradigm, it is likely that working memory predates 1956, especially if we consider that social scientists have an unfortunate pattern of using various terms for the same phenomenon (Cowan et al, 2020). Thus, the label 'working memory' could be relatively new (e.g., for a review, see Byrnes & Miller-Cotto, 2023). This challenge may contribute to developmental and educational psychology issues when mapping what measures or outcomes explain academic achievement, mainly if its definitions and assumptions of its function are based on varied sources.…”

Section: Field Specific Conceptualizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Spicy Take on Working Memory: A Review of Field Specific Conceptualizations, Use and Misuse, and Paths Forward

Miller-Cotto,

GORDON

2024

Preprint

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As trained educational and developmental psychologists who study the role of working memory in educational outcomes, we know the various assumptions made about definitions and measurements of this cognitive ability. Considering the popularity of the multi-component working memory model in these fields, we describe the considerable overlap of the central executive with executive function and how this has a downstream problematic effect on measurement. We further consider that working memory tasks are an outcome of research with adult populations and, as such, do not consider points of development in children concerning the numerous abilities involved in working memory task completion. Limitations in our understanding of which cognitive abilities are essential in education and development are discussed in the context of how we can capture students’ capabilities and support challenges. Recommendations are made as to how we might more precisely measure working memory, and we argue there is value in investigating the feasibility of a developmental model to facilitate a more detailed understanding of the roles of working memory and related factors in learning.

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“…There is a long history, outside of mainstream psychological research, of pushing back against generalizing and normalizing from homogeneous participant groups. Important work questioning normativity can be found in Black psychology (Boykin, 1977), deaf and disability studies (Canagarajah, 2022), cultural psychology (Rogoff, 2003), neurodiversity (Manalili et al, 2023), sociocultural psychology (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Spencer et al, 1997; Vygotskiĭ, 1978), language development (Figueroa, 2023), feminist psychology (Pitts-Taylor, 2019), education (Joseph et al, 2019; Martin, 2019), and recent cognitive sciences (Prather, 2021; Thomas et al, 2023; Zhang et al, 2023).…”

Section: What Does a Critical Approach Mean For Generalization?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A new path: Why we need critical approaches to cognitive and psychological sciences.

Prather¹

2023

Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition

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The issue of generalizability in psychological and cognitive sciences is best understood in the broader context and history of the disciplines and human research in general. Interrelated issues around the use of normativity in supporting hierarchical (e.g., White supremacist) views of humanity demonstrate the need for the discipline to reconsider currently accepted ways of doing things. Bauer (2023) contributes to this needed discussion by focusing on the seemingly intractable problem of dealing with generalization in psychological research. In the current piece, I pick up on Bauer's suggestion of a new path for the discipline and outline a framework for a critical approach to psychological and cognitive sciences. This broad approach represents an alternative way forward for researchers in our understanding of how normativity and generalization interact with our work. A critical approach also necessitates a reevaluation of our current characterization of humans' cognitive and psychological processes.

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Estimating the co-development of executive functions and math achievement throughout the elementary grades using a cross-lagged panel model with fixed effects

Cited by 17 publications

References 59 publications

Tracking informal fraction knowledge and its correlates across first grade.

Tracking informal fraction knowledge and its correlates across first grade.

A Spicy Take on Working Memory: A Review of Field Specific Conceptualizations, Use and Misuse, and Paths Forward

A new path: Why we need critical approaches to cognitive and psychological sciences.

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