title: Executive function and magnitude skills in preschool children.
abstract: Executive function (EF) has been highlighted as a potentially important factor for mathematical understanding. The relation has been well established in school-aged children but has been less explored at younger ages. The current study investigated the relation between EF and mathematics in preschool-aged children. Participants were 142 typically developing 3- and 4-year-olds. Controlling for verbal ability, a significant positive correlation was found between EF and general math abilities in this age group. Importantly, we further examined this relation causally by varying the EF load on a magnitude comparison task. Results suggested a developmental pattern where 3-year-olds' performance on the magnitude comparison task was worst when EF was taxed the most. Conversely, 4-year-olds performed well on the magnitude task despite varying EF demands, suggesting that EF might play a critical role in the development of math concepts.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55408, USA. Electronic address: oste0317@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Emily O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55408, USA.
authors.forename: Maria D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sera
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55408, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Carlson
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics
keywords: Early childhood; Executive function; Magnitude; Mathematics; Numerical concepts; Preschool children