Wei Wei, Guo Liyue, Georgiou George K, Tavouktsoglou Athanasios, Deng Ciping
College of Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Changning-ECNU Mental Health Center, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Front Psychol. 2018 Jun 21;9:1037. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01037. eCollection 2018.
Executive functioning (EF), an umbrella term used to represent cognitive skills engaged in goal-directed behaviors, has been found to be a unique predictor of mathematics performance. However, very few studies have examined how the three core EF subcomponents (inhibition, shifting, and working memory) predict the growth parameters (intercept and slope) in mathematics skills and even fewer studies have been conducted in a non-Western country. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how inhibition, shifting, and working memory predict the growth parameters in arithmetic accuracy and fluency in a group of Chinese children ( = 179) followed from Grade 2 (mean age = 97.89 months) to Grade 5 (mean age = 133.43 months). In Grade 2, children were assessed on measures of nonverbal IQ, number sense, speed of processing, inhibition, shifting, and working memory. In addition, in Grades 2-5, they were assessed on arithmetic accuracy and fluency. Results of structural equation modeling showed that nonverbal IQ, speed of processing, and number sense predicted the intercept in arithmetic accuracy, while working memory was the only EF subcomponent to predict the slope (rate of growth) in arithmetic accuracy. In turn, number sense, speed of processing, inhibition, and shifting were significant predictors of the intercept in arithmetic fluency. None of the EF subcomponents predicted the slope in arithmetic fluency. Our findings reinforce those of previous studies in North America and Europe showing that EF contributes to mathematics performance over and above other key predictors of mathematics, and suggest that different EF subcomponents may predict different growth parameters in mathematics.
执行功能（EF）是一个用于表示参与目标导向行为的认知技能的统称，已被发现是数学成绩的一个独特预测指标。然而，很少有研究考察执行功能的三个核心子成分（抑制、转换和工作记忆）如何预测数学技能的增长参数（截距和斜率），在非西方国家进行的此类研究更少。因此，本研究的目的是考察抑制、转换和工作记忆如何预测一组中国儿童（n = 179）从二年级（平均年龄 = 97.89个月）到五年级（平均年龄 = 133.43个月）期间算术准确性和流畅性的增长参数。在二年级时，对儿童进行了非言语智商、数感、加工速度、抑制、转换和工作记忆的测量。此外，在二至五年级期间，对他们的算术准确性和流畅性进行了评估。结构方程模型的结果表明，非言语智商、加工速度和数感预测了算术准确性的截距，而工作记忆是预测算术准确性斜率（增长率）的唯一执行功能子成分。反过来，数感、加工速度、抑制和转换是算术流畅性截距的显著预测指标。没有一个执行功能子成分能预测算术流畅性的斜率。我们的研究结果强化了北美和欧洲先前研究的结果，表明执行功能对数学成绩的贡献超过了数学的其他关键预测指标，并表明不同的执行功能子成分可能预测数学中不同的增长参数。
