Abstract
Background: 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.
Aims: In this study, the role of various factors in non-symbolic number-space mapping 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. Besides this, children’s counting direction but not their counting skills (highest amount correctly counted blocks) was related to non-symbolic number line estimation. Children who counted from left to right had lower errors on the number line task than children who counted from right to left. The children will be tested again when they are almost 5 years old (spring 2015). The results of both data collection points will be presented during the symposium and implications for the development of number-space mapping will be discussed.
Aims: In this study, the role of various factors in non-symbolic number-space mapping 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. Besides this, children’s counting direction but not their counting skills (highest amount correctly counted blocks) was related to non-symbolic number line estimation. Children who counted from left to right had lower errors on the number line task than children who counted from right to left. The children will be tested again when they are almost 5 years old (spring 2015). The results of both data collection points will be presented during the symposium and implications for the development of number-space mapping will be discussed.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Unpublished - Sept 2015 |
| Event | International Conference on Spatial Cognition 2015 - Rome, Italy Duration: 7 Sept 2015 → 11 Sept 2015 |
Conference
| Conference | International Conference on Spatial Cognition 2015 |
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| Country/Territory | Italy |
| City | Rome |
| Period | 7/09/15 → 11/09/15 |