Dissociation Between Numerical and Visuospatial Estimation Problem Solving

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: Student Cognition, Attitudes, and Learning in Math

Abstract

Estimation problem solving is critical for mathematical and scientific thinking, which require people to formulate novel strategies that combine known information in new ways to solve novel problems. Across two experiments we focus on three research questions: (1) Is there a relation between people’s numerical and visuospatial estimation abilities, reflecting a more fundamental ability? (2) Do individual differences in estimation problem solving correlate with individual differences in executive function? (3) Does providing explicit cues to consider aspects of the shape of a distribution (skew, outliers, etc.) improve either or both types of estimation abilities? The answers to these questions can both inform our understanding of the cognitive abilities involved in estimation and statistical fluency.

Authors

• James Houseworth, University of Minnesota

• Sashank Varma, University of Minnesota