Age-Dependent Contributions of Executive Functions and Visual-Spatial Skills to Mathematical Achievement

• In Event: 3-133 - Associations Between Space and Number Across Development

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Children’s mathematical achievement depends on their domain-specific abilities and domain-general skills such as executive functions and visual-spatial skills (e.g., Geary, 2000). Even though research has repeatedly indicated that these two skills predict mathematical proficiency, the vast majority of these previous studies has investigated executive functions and visual-spatial skills separately, in particular age groups only, or with small sample sizes. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether contributions of these two domain-general skills to mathematical achievement remain constant or change across development.
Hypotheses: The aims of the present study were two-fold. First, we investigated the distinct contribution of executive functions and visual-spatial skills to mathematical achievement using a large, representative sample. Moreover, we explored whether their contribution is waxing, waning, or constant to mathematical achievement across age.
Study population: A total of 1’777 5- to 20-year-olds served as participants for the present study (Mage = 12.30 years, SD = 4.46, 52.4% female).
Methods: Executive functions, visual-spatial skills, and mathematical achievement were assessed using the Intelligence and Development Scales–2 (IDS-2; Grob & Hagmann-von Arx, 2018). Verbal reasoning was assessed with the IDS-2 as well and served as a control variable (in addition to age, sex, and socioeconomic status). As executive functions and visual-spatial skills are typically defined as multi-component constructs (cf. Diamond, 2013; Newcombe & Shipley, 2015), these abilities were assessed using several different tasks. For example, executive functions were measured using three tasks testing participants’ inhibitory skills, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. These multiple indicators were then aggregated by estimating principle-axis regression factor scores based on a one-factor solution.
Results: Hierarchical regression analyses were computed with the control variables, executive functions and visual-spatial skills as predictor variables, and mathematical achievement as dependent variable. Interaction terms with age and quadratic terms were also entered into the model. Results indicated that executive functions and visual-spatial skills both contributed to mathematical achievement (with controls, both βs > .26, both ps < .001, total R2 = 86%). Whereas effects of executive functions did not interact with age and were not quadratic (all βs < -.01, all ps > .67), effects of visual-spatial skills depended on age and were quadratic (all βs > .13, all ps < .001). Simple slope analyses revealed that associations between visual-spatial skills and mathematical achievement were stronger in adolescents than in children and followed a non-linear pattern.
Discussion: Our findings demonstrate linear and stable relations between executive functions and mathematical achievement across development. However, contributions of visual-spatial skills to mathematical proficiency followed a curvilinear pattern and increased across childhood and adolescence. This result may indicate that visual-spatial skills are more crucial for complex mathematics as opposed to basic number concepts or operations and thus, are increasingly important throughout a student’s school career.

Authors

• Wenke Mohring, University of Basel
  Presenting Author

• Tobias Kahl, University of Basel
  Non-Presenting Author

• Robin Segerer, University of Basel
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alexander Grob, University of Basel
  Non-Presenting Author