Chapter 4 - A Neurodevelopmental Perspective on the Role of Memory Systems in Children’s Math Learning

Abstract

In this chapter we review the emerging findings on the role of the medial temporal lobe declarative memory system in children’s mathematics learning. The medial temporal lobe memory system facilitates the establishment of long-term memory and knowledge through its role in rapid learning and integration of new information into existing knowledge schemas. Evidence is presented for how the hippocampus plays a critical, but time-limited, role in the early phase of mathematical knowledge acquisition, and how this hippocampal dependence is reduced following reconfiguration of neocortical connections and stabilization of problem representations over time. We discuss the implications of recent research for a more comprehensive view of the neural basis of mathematical learning and knowledge acquisition in both children and adults. Critically, it cannot be assumed that brain systems engaged by children during critical stages of development are similar to those in adults with well-developed schema and domain knowledge.