The Role of Non-Numerical Stimulus Features in Approximate Number System Training in Preschoolers from Low-Income Homes

Fuhs, Mary Wagner; McNeil, Nicole M.; Kelley, Ken; O'Rear, Connor D.; Villano, Michael

doi:10.1080/15248372.2015.1105228

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Low household income often impedes access to high‐quality early mathematics experiences (Ramani & Siegler, ), so factors driving the relation between nonsymbolic comparison and mathematics achievement may differ across students with differing household incomes. Furthermore, the relation between nonsymbolic comparison and mathematics achievement in low‐income samples has been reportedly lower than middle‐ and high‐income samples (Fuhs, Kelley, O'Rear, & Villano, ; Fuhs & McNeil, ). However, effect sizes of the relation between nonsymbolic comparison and mathematics achievement from this study are in line with previous meta‐analyses (Chen & Li, ; Schneider et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dyscalculia and Typical Math Achievement Are Associated With Individual Differences in Number‐Specific Executive Function

2018

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Deficits in numerical magnitude perception characterize the mathematics learning disability developmental dyscalculia (DD), but recent studies suggest the relation stems from inhibitory control demands from incongruent visual cues in the nonsymbolic number comparison task. This study investigated the relation among magnitude perception during differing congruency conditions, executive function, and mathematics achievement measured longitudinally in children (n = 448) from ages 4 to 13. This relation was investigated across achievement groups and as it related to mathematics across the full range of achievement. Only performance on incongruent trials related to achievement. Findings indicate that executive function in a numerical context, beyond magnitude perception or executive function in a non‐numerical context, relates to DD and mathematics across a wide range of achievement.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dyscalculia and Typical Math Achievement Are Associated With Individual Differences in Number‐Specific Executive Function

2018

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“…Thus far, research on the effect of congruency in number comparison tasks has mainly focused on inhibitory control components of executive function without much discussion of their underlying neural mechanisms (Clayton & Gilmore, 2014;Fuhs, Kelley, O'Rear, & Villano, 2016). However, we hypothesize that attention to number is likely to involve both increased focus of cognitive resources to numerical information and the inhibition of irrelevant information.…”

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confidence: 88%

“…Psychologists, on the other hand, tend to use the term “executive function” to refer broadly to an array of top‐down mental processes needed for concentration and paying attention (Diamond, ), which is further broken down into inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (Miyake et al, ). Thus far, research on the effect of congruency in number comparison tasks has mainly focused on inhibitory control components of executive function without much discussion of their underlying neural mechanisms (Clayton & Gilmore, ; Fuhs, Kelley, O'Rear, & Villano, ). However, we hypothesize that attention to number is likely to involve both increased focus of cognitive resources to numerical information and the inhibition of irrelevant information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attention to number: The convergence of numerical magnitude processing, attention, and mathematics in the inferior frontal gyrus

Wilkey

Price

2018

Human Brain Mapping

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Research indicates that the neurocognitive system representing nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes is foundational for the development of mathematical competence. However, recent studies found that the most common task used to measure numerical acuity, the nonsymbolic number comparison task, is heavily influenced by non-numerical visual parameters of stimuli that increase executive function demands. Further, this influence may be a confound invalidating theoretical accounts of the relation between number comparison performance and mathematical competence. Instead of acuity, the relation may depend on attention to number, or one’s ability to attend to numerical information in the face of competing, non-numerical cues. The current study investigated this issue by measuring neural activity associated with numerical magnitude processing acuity, domain-general attention, and selective attention to number via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while children 8–11 years old completed a nonsymbolic number comparison task and a flanker task. Results showed that activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus during incongruent versus congruent trials of the comparison task, our construct for attention to number, predicted mathematics achievement after controlling for verbal IQ, flanker accuracy rate, and the neural congruency effect from the flanker task. In contrast, activity in frontal and parietal regions responding to differences in difficulty of numerical comparisons, our construct for magnitude processing, did not correlate with achievement. Together, these findings suggest a need to reframe existing models of the relation between number processing and math competence to include the interaction between attention and use of numerical information, or in other words “attention to number”.

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“…For example, Hyde and colleagues (Hyde, Khanum, & Spelke, 2014) found that after first graders completed a training session on either non-symbolic addition or non-symbolic number comparison, they were faster in responding to a symbolic math task compared to groups who compared non-numerical magnitudes. In another set of studies, researchers found that an extended ANS acuity training program for children from lowincome homes resulted in improved performance on an ANS task only on incongruent trials and not in overall math achievement (Fuhs, McNeil, Kelley, O'Rear, & Villano, 2016;O'Rear, Fuhs, McNeil, & Silla, 2015). Below, we consider possible explanations for these mixed findings.…”

Section: Ans Acuity Development and Early Math Achievementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approximate number system task performance: Associations with domain-general and domain-specific cognitive skills in young children

2018

Self Cite

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We investigated the associations between young children's domain-general executive functioning (EF) skills and domain-specific spontaneous focusing on number (SFON) tendencies and their performance on an approximate number system (ANS) task, paying particular attention to variations in associations across different trial types with either congruent or incongruent non-numerical continuous visual cues. We found that children's EF skills were strongly related to their performance on ANS task trials in which continuous visual cues were incongruent with numerosity. Novel to the current study, we found that children's SFON tendencies were specifically related to their performance on ANS task trials in which continuous visual cues were congruent with numerosity. Children's performance on ANS task trials in which children can use both congruent numerical and non-numerical continuous visual cues to approximate large quantities may be related to their unprompted tendency to focus on number in their early environment when there are not salient distractors present. On the other hand, children's performance on incongruent ANS trials may be less a function of number-specific knowledge but more of children's domain-general ability to inhibit salient but conflicting or irrelevant stimuli. Importantly, these effects held even when accounting for global math achievement and children's cardinality knowledge. Overall, results support the consideration of both domain-specific and domaingeneral cognitive factors in developmental models of children's early ability to attend to numerosity and provide a possible means for reconciling previous conflicting research findings.

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The Role of Non-Numerical Stimulus Features in Approximate Number System Training in Preschoolers from Low-Income Homes

Cited by 26 publications

References 65 publications

Dyscalculia and Typical Math Achievement Are Associated With Individual Differences in Number‐Specific Executive Function

Dyscalculia and Typical Math Achievement Are Associated With Individual Differences in Number‐Specific Executive Function

Attention to number: The convergence of numerical magnitude processing, attention, and mathematics in the inferior frontal gyrus

Approximate number system task performance: Associations with domain-general and domain-specific cognitive skills in young children

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