The role of the left intraparietal sulcus in the relationship between symbolic number processing and children's arithmetic competence

Abstract

The neural foundations of arithmetic learning are not well understood. While behavioral studies have revealed relationships between symbolic number processing and individual differences in children's arithmetic performance, the neurocognitive mechanisms that bind symbolic number processing and arithmetic are unknown. The current fMRI study investigated the relationship between children's brain activation during symbolic number comparison (Arabic digits) and individual differences in arithmetic fluency. A significant correlation was found between the numerical ratio effect on reaction times and accuracy and children's arithmetic scores. Furthermore, children with a stronger neural ratio effect in the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) during symbolic number processing exhibited higher arithmetic scores. Previous research has demonstrated that activation of the IPS during numerical magnitude processing increases over the course of development, and that the left IPS plays an important role in symbolic number processing. The present findings extend this knowledge to show that children with more mature response modulation of the IPS during symbolic number processing exhibit higher arithmetic competence. These results suggest that the left IPS is a key neural substrate for the relationship between the relative of precision of the representation of numerical magnitude and school-level arithmetic competence.

Estimation of importance: Relative contributions of symbolic and non-symbolic number systems to exact and approximate calculation

“…Previous research has yielded a variety of findings with regards to how symbolic and non-symbolic number representation systems relate to exact calculation ability. Findings from this study were consistent with previous research indicating that both non-symbolic system acuity (Halberda et al, 2008;Libertus, Feigenson, & Halberda, 2011;Mazzocco, Feigenson, & Halberda, 2011) and symbolic system acuity (Bugden et al, 2012;Vogel, Remark, & Ansari, 2015) individually relate to exact calculation, and corroborate previous findings suggesting that when the impact of both representation systems are examined in relation to exact calculation skill, only symbolic system acuity remains a significant predictor (Holloway & Ansari, 2009;Kolkman, Kroesbergen, & Leseman, 2013;Newton, Waring, & Penner-Wilger, 2014;Sasanguie, Göbel, Moll, Smets, & Reynvoet, 2013). The nature of the relation between these two systems and exact calculation skill was examined and it was found that symbolic system performance mediates the relation between non-symbolic system performance and exact calculation skill.…”

How do symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills relate to individual differences in children's mathematical skills? A review of evidence from brain and behavior

“…Specifically, in a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study, Bugden et al (2012) demonstrated that the degree to which the left IPS is modulated by numerical ratio, during a symbolic number comparison task, is related to standardized measures of arithmetic fluency (over and above reading fluency) in 8-10 year old children. In other words, those children who exhibited a larger symbolic ratio effect on activity in the left IPS also displayed relatively stronger performance on the standardized tests of speeded arithmetic.…”

Indexing the approximate number system

“…While some of these researchers have indexed ANS acuity using Weber fractions (e.g. Castronovo & Gobel, 2012;Halberda et al, , 2012Inglis et al, 2011;Libertus et al, 2012;Lyons & Beilock, 2011;Piazza et al, 2010;Price et al, 2012;Sasanguie et al, 2012), others have used NREs (e.g., Bugden et al, 2012;Holloway & Ansari, 2009;Lourenco et al, 2012;Merkley & Ansari, 2010;Price et al, 2012), and others accuracy (e.g. Fuhs & McNeil, 2013;Nys et al, 2013;Wei et al, 2012).…”

“…Finally, some researchers have adopted the Numerical Ratio Effect (NRE), or the closely related Numerical Distance Effect (NDE), to index ANS acuity (e.g., Bugden, Price, McLean & Ansari, 2012;Gilmore et al, 2011;Holloway & Ansari, 2009;Lonnemann, Linkersdorfer, Hasselhorn & Lindberg, 2011;Merkley & Ansari, 2010;Price et al, 2012;Sasanguie, Van den Bussche, & Reynvoet, 2012;Vanbinst, Ghesquière, & De Smedt, 2012). …”