Research article summary (published 30 May 2000):

Preschoolers doing arithmetic: the concepts are willing but the working memory is weak.

Full Abstract

The study of early mathematical development provides important insights into young children's emerging academic competencies and, potentially, a basis for adapting instructional methods. We presented nonverbal forms of two- and three-term arithmetic problems to 4-year-olds to determine (a) the extent to which certain information-processing demands make some problems more difficult than others and (b) whether preschoolers use arithmetic concepts spontaneously when solving novel problems. Children's accuracy on simple arithmetic problems (a + b and a - b) was strongly related (r2 = .88) to representational set size, the maximum number of units that need to be held in working memory to solve a given problem. Some children also showed spontaneous use of procedures based on the arithmetic principle of inversion when solving problems of the form a + b - b. These results highlight the importance of identifying information-processing and conceptual characteristics in the early development of mathematical cognition.

Author information

Author/s: Klein, J S (JS); Bisanz, J (J);

Affiliation: University of Alberta.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale (Can J Exp Psychol), published in CANADA. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2000-Jun; vol 54 (issue 2) : pp 105-16

Dates: Created 2000/08/15; Completed 2000/08/15; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 10881394, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Child Development - physiology Child, Preschool Cognition - physiology Concept Formation - physiology Female

Female Humans Male Mathematics Memory - physiology

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