Abstract
Mathematics is often promoted as endowing those who study it with transferable skills such as an ability to think logically and critically or to have improved investigative skills, resourcefulness and creativity in problem solving. However, there is scant evidence to back up such claims. This project tested participants with increasing levels of mathematics training on 11 well-studied rational and logical reasoning tasks aggregated from various psychological studies. These tasks, that included the Cognitive Reflection Test and the Wason Selection Task, are of particular interest as they have typically and reliably eluded participants in all studies, and results have been uncorrelated with general intelligence, education levels and other demographic information. The results in this study revealed that in general the greater the mathematics training of the participant, the more tasks were completed correctly, and that performance on some tasks was also associated with performance on others not traditionally associated. A ceiling effect also emerged. The work is deconstructed from the viewpoint of adding to the platform from which to approach the greater, and more scientifically elusive, question: are any skills associated with mathematics training innate or do they arise from skills transfer?
Highlights
Mathematics is often promoted as endowing those who study it with a number of broad thinking skills such as: an ability to think logically, analytically, critically and abstractly; having capacity to weigh evidence with impartiality
This is a view of mathematics as providing transferable skills which can be found across educational institutions, governments and corporations worldwide
It was administered to five groups distinctive in mathematics training levels chosen from a high-ranking Australian university, where the teaching year is separated into two teaching semesters and where being a successful university applicant requires having been highly ranked against peers in terms of intellectual achievement: 1. Introductory—First year, second semester, university students with weak high school mathematical results, only enrolled in the current unit as a compulsory component for their chosen degree, a unit not enabling any future mathematical pathway, a typical student may be enrolled in a Biology or Geography major; 2
Summary
Mathematics is often promoted as endowing those who study it with a number of broad thinking skills such as: an ability to think logically, analytically, critically and abstractly; having capacity to weigh evidence with impartiality. This is a view of mathematics as providing transferable skills which can be found across educational institutions, governments and corporations worldwide. Consider the UK government’s commissioned inquiry into mathematics education “Making Mathematics Count” ascertaining the justification that “mathematical training disciplines the mind, develops logical and critical reasoning, and develops analytical and problem-solving skills to a high degree” [1 p11].
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