Kiran Vanbinst

Profiles of children's arithmetic fact development: a model-based clustering approach.

The current longitudinal study tried to capture profiles of individual differences in childrens arithmetic fact development. We used a model-based clustering approach to delineate profiles of arithmetic fact development based on empirically derived differences in parameters of arithmetic fact mastery repeatedly assessed at the start of three subsequent school years: third, fourth, and fifth grades. This cluster analysis revealed three profiles in a random sample-slow and variable (n = 8), average (n = 24), and efficient (n = 20)-that were marked by differences in childrens development in arithmetic fact mastery from third grade to fifth grade. These profiles did not differ in terms of age, sex, socioeconomic status, or intellectual ability. In addition, we explored whether these profiles varied in cognitive skills that have been associated with individual differences in single-digit arithmetic. The three profiles differed in nonsymbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude processing as well as phonological processing, but not in digit naming or working memory. After also controlling for cluster differences in general mathematics achievement and reading ability, only differences in symbolic numerical magnitude processing remained significant. Taken together, our longitudinal data reveal that symbolic numerical magnitude processing represents an important variable that contributes to individual variability in childrens acquisition of arithmetic facts.

Arithmetic strategy development and its domain-specific and domain-general cognitive correlates: A longitudinal study in children with persistent mathematical learning difficulties

Deficits in arithmetic fact retrieval constitute the hallmark of children with mathematical learning difficulties (MLD). It remains, however, unclear which cognitive deficits underpin these difficulties in arithmetic fact retrieval. Many prior studies defined MLD by considering low achievement criteria and not by additionally taking the persistence of the MLD into account. Therefore, the present longitudinal study contrasted children with persistent MLD (MLD-p; mean age: 9 years 2 months) and typically developing (TD) children (mean age: 9 years 6 months) at three time points, to explore whether differences in arithmetic strategy development were associated with differences in numerical magnitude processing, working memory and phonological processing. Our longitudinal data revealed that children with MLD-p had persistent arithmetic fact retrieval deficits at each time point. Children with MLD-p showed persistent impairments in symbolic, but not in nonsymbolic, magnitude processing at each time point. The two groups differed in phonological processing, but not in working memory. Our data indicate that both domain-specific and domain-general cognitive abilities contribute to individual differences in childrens arithmetic strategy development, and that the symbolic processing of numerical magnitudes might be a particular risk factor for children with MLD-p.

Symbolic Numerical Magnitude Processing Is as Important to Arithmetic as Phonological Awareness Is to Reading

In this article, we tested, using a 1-year longitudinal design, whether symbolic numerical magnitude processing or children’s numerical representation of Arabic digits, is as important to arithmetic as phonological awareness is to reading. Children completed measures of symbolic comparison, phonological awareness, arithmetic, reading at the start of third grade and the latter two were retested at the start of fourth grade. Cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations indicated that symbolic comparison was a powerful domain-specific predictor of arithmetic and that phonological awareness was a unique predictor of reading. Crucially, the strength of these independent associations was not significantly different. This indicates that symbolic numerical magnitude processing is as important to arithmetic development as phonological awareness is to reading and suggests that symbolic numerical magnitude processing is a good candidate for screening children at risk for developing mathematical difficulties.

Individual differences in children's mathematics achievement: The roles of symbolic numerical magnitude processing and domain-general cognitive functions

This contribution reviewed the available evidence on the domain-specific and domain-general neurocognitive determinants of childrens arithmetic development, other than nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing, which might have been overemphasized as a core factor of individual differences in mathematics and dyscalculia. We focused on symbolic numerical magnitude processing, working memory, and phonological processing, as these determinants have been most researched and their roles in arithmetic can be predicted against the background of brain imaging data. Our review indicates that symbolic numerical magnitude processing is a major determinant of individual differences in arithmetic. Working memory, particularly the central executive, also plays a role in learning arithmetic, but its influence appears to be dependent on the learning stage and experience of children. The available evidence on phonological processing suggests that it plays a more subtle role in childrens acquisition of arithmetic facts. Future longitudinal studies should investigate these factors in concert to understand their relative contribution as well as their mediating and moderating roles in childrens arithmetic development.

Developmental trajectories of children’s symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills and associated cognitive competencies

Although symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills are key for learning arithmetic, their developmental trajectories remain unknown. Therefore, we delineated during the first 3years of primary education (5-8years of age) groups with distinguishable developmental trajectories of symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills using a model-based clustering approach. Three clusters were identified and were labeled as inaccurate, accurate but slow, and accurate and fast. The clusters did not differ in age, sex, socioeconomic status, or IQ. We also tested whether these clusters differed in domain-specific (nonsymbolic magnitude processing and digit identification) and domain-general (visuospatial short-term memory, verbal working memory, and processing speed) cognitive competencies that might contribute to childrens ability to (efficiently) process the numerical meaning of Arabic numerical symbols. We observed minor differences between clusters in these cognitive competencies except for verbal working memory for which no differences were observed. Follow-up analyses further revealed that the above-mentioned cognitive competencies did not merely account for the cluster differences in childrens development of symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills, suggesting that other factors account for these individual differences. On the other hand, the three trajectories of symbolic numerical magnitude processing revealed remarkable and stable differences in childrens arithmetic fact retrieval, which stresses the importance of symbolic numerical magnitude processing for learning arithmetic.