Abstract
Previous studies have observed inconsistent relations between the acuity of the Approximate Number System (ANS) and mathematical achievement. In this paper, we hypothesize that the relation between ANS acuity and mathematical achievement is influenced by fluency; that is, the mathematical achievement test covering a greater expanse of mathematical fluency may better reflect the relation between ANS acuity and mathematics skills. We explored three types of mathematical achievement tests utilized in this study: Subtraction, graded, and semester-final examination. The subtraction test was designed to measure the mathematical fluency. The graded test was more fluency-based than the semester-final examination, but both involved the same mathematical knowledge from the class curriculum. A total of 219 fifth graders from primary schools were asked to perform all three tests, then given a numerosity comparison task, a visual form perception task (figure matching), and a series of other tasks to assess general cognitive processes (mental rotation, non-verbal matrix reasoning, and choice reaction time). The findings were consistent with our expectations. The relation between ANS acuity and mathematical achievement was particularly clearly reflected in the participants’ performance on the visual form perception task, which supports the domain-general explanations for the underlying mechanisms of the relation between ANS acuity and math achievement.
Highlights
The Approximate Number System (ANS) is responsible for estimating numbers of objects (Feigenson et al, 2004)
The graded mathematical achievement score was significantly correlated with subtraction, numerosity comparison, figure matching, mental rotation, and non-verbal matrix reasoning scores
We found that the relation between ANS acuity and mathematical achievement is influenced by fluency
Summary
The Approximate Number System (ANS) is responsible for estimating numbers of objects (Feigenson et al, 2004). ANS acuity is considered to evolve due to its adaptive value; naturally, it assists in hunting, gathering, territorial marking, and other survival activities (Pica et al, 2004; Halberda et al, 2008). ANS acuity is crucial for success in education and employment. Several studies have shown that ANS acuity is related to mathematical achievement. ANS acuity in childhood, for example, is correlated with mathematical performance (Halberda et al, 2008; Mundy and Gilmore, 2009; Inglis et al, 2011; Libertus et al, 2011; Halberda et al, 2012; Bonny and Lourenco, 2013; Fuhs and McNeil, 2013; Chen and Li, 2014; Fazio et al, 2014).
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