Abstract
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e67374 |
| Journal | PLoS ONE |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Status | Published - 13 Jun 2013 |
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Individual differences in inhibitory control, not non-verbal number acuity, correlate with mathematics achievement. / Gilmore, Camilla; Attridge, N F; Clayton, Sarah; Cragg, Lucy; Johnson, Samantha; Marlow, Neil; Simms, Victoria; Inglis, Matthew.
In: PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, No. 6, e67374, 13.06.2013.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual differences in inhibitory control, not non-verbal number acuity, correlate with mathematics achievement
AU - Gilmore,Camilla
AU - Attridge,N F
AU - Clayton,Sarah
AU - Cragg,Lucy
AU - Johnson,Samantha
AU - Marlow,Neil
AU - Simms,Victoria
AU - Inglis,Matthew
PY - 2013/6/13
Y1 - 2013/6/13
N2 - Given the well-documented failings in mathematics education in many Western societies, there has been an increased interest in understanding the cognitive underpinnings of mathematical achievement. Recent research has proposed the existence of an Approximate Number System (ANS) which allows individuals to represent and manipulate non-verbal numerical information. Evidence has shown that performance on a measure of the ANS (a dot comparison task) is related to mathematics achievement, which has led researchers to suggest that the ANS plays a critical role in mathematics learning. Here we show that, rather than being driven by the nature of underlying numerical representations, this relationship may in fact be an artefact of the inhibitory control demands of some trials of the dot comparison task. This suggests that recent work basing mathematics assessments and interventions around dot comparison tasks may be inappropriate.
AB - Given the well-documented failings in mathematics education in many Western societies, there has been an increased interest in understanding the cognitive underpinnings of mathematical achievement. Recent research has proposed the existence of an Approximate Number System (ANS) which allows individuals to represent and manipulate non-verbal numerical information. Evidence has shown that performance on a measure of the ANS (a dot comparison task) is related to mathematics achievement, which has led researchers to suggest that the ANS plays a critical role in mathematics learning. Here we show that, rather than being driven by the nature of underlying numerical representations, this relationship may in fact be an artefact of the inhibitory control demands of some trials of the dot comparison task. This suggests that recent work basing mathematics assessments and interventions around dot comparison tasks may be inappropriate.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84879041288&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0067374
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067374
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0067374
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0067374
M3 - Article
VL - 8
JO - PLoS ONE
T2 - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 6
M1 - e67374
ER -