Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.
Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario.
Dev Psychol. 2024 Dec;60(12):2345-2366. doi: 10.1037/dev0001814. Epub 2024 Aug 29.
Magnitude processing and executive functions (EFs) have emerged as robust predictors of mathematics achievement. However, the nature of these associations is still unclear. For example, it is uncertain if EFs applied in the context of domain-specific mathematical cognition (i.e., EFs applied while processing numbers) are more closely related to mathematics achievement than EFs applied in nonnumerical, domain-general contexts. Also, how distinct EF domains-that is, working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility-and contents-that is, numerical versus nonnumerical-moderate the association between magnitude processing and mathematics achievement has not been fully understood. To address these issues, we investigated how magnitude processing, EFs applied to nonnumerical and numerical task stimuli, and their interactions were associated with mathematics achievement. Three hundred fifty-nine Brazilian third- to fifth-grade (8-10 years old) students completed measures of working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility with numerical and nonnumerical task versions, nonsymbolic and symbolic magnitude comparison, and mathematics achievement. A series of regression models indicated that nonsymbolic and symbolic magnitude processing are consistently associated with mathematics achievement, even when controlling for working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility measured with both numerical and nonnumerical contents. All EF measures were associated with mathematics achievement. However, cognitive flexibility measured with numerical content showed the strongest association. Results support the hypothesis that magnitude processing and EFs are uniquely associated with mathematics achievement. Furthermore, EFs measured with nonnumerical and numerical contents related differently to mathematics achievement, even when controlling for symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing, suggesting they encompass somewhat distinct cognitive processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
数量加工和执行功能 (EF) 已成为预测数学成就的有力指标。然而，这些关联的性质仍不清楚。例如，尚不确定 EF 是否应用于特定于领域的数学认知（即，在处理数字时应用的 EF）与应用于非数字、非领域的 EF 更为密切相关通用上下文。此外，EF 领域的不同——即工作记忆、抑制控制和认知灵活性——以及内容——即数字与非数字——如何调节数量加工与数学成就之间的关联尚未完全理解。为了解决这些问题，我们研究了数量加工、应用于数字和非数字任务刺激的 EF 及其相互作用与数学成就之间的关系。359 名巴西三至五年级（8-10 岁）学生完成了数字和非数字任务版本的工作记忆、抑制控制和认知灵活性测量、非符号和符号数量比较以及数学成就测量。一系列回归模型表明，非符号和符号数量加工与数学成就始终相关，即使在控制了使用数字和非数字内容测量的工作记忆、抑制控制和认知灵活性之后也是如此。所有 EF 测量都与数学成就相关。然而，使用数字内容测量的认知灵活性表现出最强的关联。结果支持这样的假设，即数量加工和 EF 与数学成就独特相关。此外，即使在控制符号和非符号数量加工之后，使用非数字和数字内容测量的 EF 与数学成就的相关性也不同，这表明它们包含了一些不同的认知过程。（PsycInfo 数据库记录（c）2024 APA，保留所有权利）。
