RT journal article
T1 Individual differences in general and specific cognitive precursors in early mathematical learning
A1 Aragón Mendizábal, Estívaliz Lorena
A1 Cerda, Gamal
A1 Delgado Casas, Cándida Inés
A1 Aguilar Villagrán, Manuel
A1 Navarro Guzmán, Francisco José Ignacio
A2 Psicología
K1 Early mathematical achievement
K1 general-domain precursors
K1 specific-domain precursors
K1 mathematical cognition
K1 gender
AB Background: The acquisition of mathematical abilities is associated not only with several academic aptitudes but also with the development of particular cognitive skills. This study analysed the role of the general and specific domain precursors of informal mathematical thinking. Method: A total of 109 4-year-old children (M = 59.30 months; SD = 3.56) participated in the study, in which the participants’ informal math and cognitive variables were assessed. A stepwise regression model was calculated. Results: The complex inferential model evidenced the role of the three general-domain variables analysed, in addition to numerical estimation as a specific-domain variable. 48.5% of participants’ variability in informal mathematical thinking, evaluated with the TEMA-3 test, was explained by three of the general domain precursors: working memory, processing speed and receptive vocabulary; as well as by estimation, a specific-domain precursor. The model showed a higher explanatory statistical weight for boys (48.9%) than girls (37.5%). Conclusions: The model indicated that working memory and processing speed were the main predictors of informal mathematical thinking at the age of four. A joint remedial or preventative intervention, taking into account predictors of the specific and general domains, could be the optimal option to improve achievement in mathematics.
SN 0214 - 9915
YR 2019
FD 2019
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30354
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30354
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 08-nov-2026