title: The relation between approximate number system and early arithmetic: The mediation role of numerical knowledge.
abstract: We investigated whether the approximate number system (ANS) was related to arithmetic among kindergartners and the mechanism underlying this possible relation. Specifically, we examined whether numerical knowledge mediated the possible relation between the ANS and arithmetic after controlling for potential confounding cognitive variables. Results showed that the ANS was moderately related with early arithmetic (r=.36-.37). After controlling for age, IQ, visual attention, working memory, visuospatial processing, and inhibition, numerical knowledge demonstrated a medium mediation effect (k2=.09) on the relation between the ANS and arithmetic. Our findings suggest the importance of the ANS in early arithmetic and support the numerical knowledge mediation hypothesis. That is, numerical knowledge plays a more important role than visuospatial processing and inhibition in explaining the relation between the ANS and early arithmetic. Implications of these findings for early arithmetic instructions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China; School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Xiujie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PekingU-PolyU Center for Child Development and Learning, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: mengxzh@pku.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiangzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Meng
mesh_terms: D001076:Aptitude; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D065855:Spatial Processing / Q000502:physiology
keywords: ANS; Arithmetic; Inhibition; Mediation; Numerical knowledge; Visuospatial processing