Abstract
Introduction: Research has shown that people associate numbers with space. This number-space mapping plays an important role in the development of mathematical skills. Most studies focused on the development of symbolic number-space mapping, by using symbolic number line estimation tasks. Less is known about non-symbolic number-space mapping. In this study, the role of various factors in non-symbolic number line estimation was investigated in Dutch 3.5-year-old children.
Method: Fifty-two children (36 girls, 16 boys) with a mean age of 3.59 years (SD = 0.08) participated in this study. Non-symbolic number-space mapping was measured using a non-symbolic number line estimation task. Early math skills were measured using a dot quantity comparison task and a counting task. Word recall and dot matrix were used to measure verbal and visuo-spatial memory.
Results: It was found that dot quantity comparison and word recall were positively related to non-symbolic number line estimation. Children with higher scores on dot quantity comparison and word recall had a lower error score on the non-symbolic number line task. Dot recall, counting skill (highest correctly counted amount of blocks) and cardinality understanding were not related to non-symbolic number line estimation. This indicates that non-symbolic number-space mapping is related to non-symbolic early math skills, but not to symbolic early math skills. Surprisingly, verbal memory was related to non-symbolic number-space mapping instead of visuo-spatial memory. However, this relation was mediated by quantity comparison skills.
Method: Fifty-two children (36 girls, 16 boys) with a mean age of 3.59 years (SD = 0.08) participated in this study. Non-symbolic number-space mapping was measured using a non-symbolic number line estimation task. Early math skills were measured using a dot quantity comparison task and a counting task. Word recall and dot matrix were used to measure verbal and visuo-spatial memory.
Results: It was found that dot quantity comparison and word recall were positively related to non-symbolic number line estimation. Children with higher scores on dot quantity comparison and word recall had a lower error score on the non-symbolic number line task. Dot recall, counting skill (highest correctly counted amount of blocks) and cardinality understanding were not related to non-symbolic number line estimation. This indicates that non-symbolic number-space mapping is related to non-symbolic early math skills, but not to symbolic early math skills. Surprisingly, verbal memory was related to non-symbolic number-space mapping instead of visuo-spatial memory. However, this relation was mediated by quantity comparison skills.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Unpublished - Apr 2015 |
| Event | Expert Meeting on Mathematical Thinking and Learning 2015 - Nijmegen, Netherlands Duration: 10 Apr 2015 → … |
Conference
| Conference | Expert Meeting on Mathematical Thinking and Learning 2015 |
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| Country/Territory | Netherlands |
| City | Nijmegen |
| Period | 10/04/15 → … |