Abstract
The goals of the present study were to test whether (and which) basic numerical abilities can be improved with training and whether training effects transfer to improvement in children’s math achievement. The literature is mixed with evidence that does or does not substantiate the efficacy of training basic numerical ability. In the present study, we developed a child-friendly software named “123 Bakery” which includes four training modules; non-symbolic numerosity comparison, non-symbolic numerosity estimation, approximate arithmetic, and symbol-to-numerosity mapping. Fifty-six first graders were randomly assigned to either the training or control group. The training group participated in 6 weeks of training (5 times a week, 30 minutes per day). All participants underwent pre- and post-training assessment of their basic numerical processing ability (including numerosity discrimination acuity, symbolic/non-symbolic magnitude estimation, approximate arithmetic, and symbol-to-numerosity mapping), overall math achievement and intelligence, 6 weeks apart. The acuity for numerosity discrimination (approximate number sense acuity; hereafter ANS acuity) significantly improved after training, but this training effect did not transfer to improvement in symbolic, exact calculation, or any other math ability. We conclude that basic numerical cognition training leads to improvement in ANS acuity, but whether this effect transfers to symbolic math ability remains to be further tested.
Highlights
The ability to process numerosity information is essential for everyday life in both humans and animals (Agrillo et al, 2008; Libertus et al, 2011; Leibovich et al, 2017)
The present study examined whether or which basic numerical processing ability can be improved with training and whether this training effect can be transferred to improvement in different domains of mathematical achievement
We developed a child-friendly training program called “123 Bakery” which included four training modules (“Gathering Ingredients,” “Guess How Many?,” “Cake Decoration,” and “Selling Cakes”)
Summary
The ability to process numerosity information is essential for everyday life in both humans and animals (Agrillo et al, 2008; Libertus et al, 2011; Leibovich et al, 2017). Some researchers believe that basic numerical processing ability and higher level mathematical achievement builds on the ANS (Rousselle and Noël, 2007; De Smedt and Gilmore, 2011; Sasanguie et al, 2012, 2013; Jang and Cho, 2018). Some studies reported that training on basic numerical abilities led to improvement in math achievement (Park and Brannon, 2013, 2014; Park et al, 2016; Sella et al, 2016). At present it is not easy to draw a conclusion on whether or not intervention on basic numerical abilities can improve one’s math performance (Schneider et al, 2016; Szucs and Myers, 2017)
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