Innate or Acquired? – Disentangling Number Sense and Early Number Competencies

Abstract

The clinical profile termed developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a fundamental disability affecting children already prior to arithmetic schooling, but the formal diagnosis is often only made during school years. The manifold associated deficits depend on age, education, developmental stage, and task requirements. Despite a large body of studies, the underlying mechanisms remain dubious. Conflicting findings have stimulated opposing theories, each presenting enough empirical support to remain a possible alternative. A so far unresolved question concerns the debate whether a putative innate number sense is required for successful arithmetic achievement as opposed to a pure reliance on domain-general cognitive factors. Here, we outline that the controversy arises due to ambiguous conceptualizations of the number sense. It is common practice to use early number competence as a proxy for innate magnitude processing, even though it requires knowledge of the number system. Therefore, such findings reflect the degree to which quantity is successfully transferred into symbols rather than informing about quantity representation per se. To solve this issue, we propose a three-factor account and incorporate it into the partly overlapping suggestions in the literature regarding the etiology of different DD profiles. The proposed view on DD is especially beneficial because it is applicable to more complex theories identifying a conglomerate of deficits as underlying cause of DD.

The neuroscience basis and educational interventions of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety: a systematic literature review

“…These difficulties extend beyond mathematical calculations, including number recognition, comparison, and estimation, possibly due to fundamental neurobiological defects such as working memory, attention, and executive function deficits ( Li et al, 2013 ; Bulthé et al, 2019 ; Klados et al, 2019 ). Acquired calculation disorders, on the other hand, result from external factors like brain injuries or diseases, leading to the loss or decline of previously acquired mathematical abilities ( Siemann and Petermann, 2018 ), typically emerging in adulthood and potentially affecting individuals’ daily lives and career development.…”

Patterns of symbolic numerical magnitude processing and working memory as predictors of early mathematics performance

“…Indeed, over the years, different theoretical models have been proposed as a cause of MLD (for an overview, see e.g. Siemann & Petermann, 2018), highlighting a deficit in domain-specific skills, namely in NMPeither non-symbolic NMP (i.e. defective number module, Butterworth, 2005) or SNMP (i.e.…”

Patterns of Symbolic Numerical Magnitude Processing and Working Memory as Predictors of Early Mathematics Performance

“…Given the impact of SNMP and WM on mathematics performance and development, children with MLD or dyscalculia would then be expected to display inferior SNMP and/or WM skills compared to their peers without such difficulties. Indeed, over the years, different theoretical models have been proposed as a cause of MLD (for an overview, see e.g., Siemann & Petermann, 2018), highlighting a deficit in domain-specific skills, namely in NMP -either non-symbolic NMP (i.e., defective number module, Butterworth, 2005) or SNMP (i.e., access deficit, Rousselle & Noël, 2007), or in domain-general skills, such as WM (i.e., cognitive deficit, Geary, 2004;Karagiannakis et al, 2014) or in both (i.e., double deficit, Kroesbergen & van Dijk, 2015;Wolf & Bowers, 1999). Regarding school beginners, as is the case in the current study, a weak performance in either NMP or WM or both might thus point out to a risk for MLD.…”