1-127 - Language and Thought: Evidence from Mathematical Cognition

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Does language impact thought and cognitive performance? Specifically, can linguistic differences partly explain cross-national differences in mathematical proficiency? Previous research has suggested that one of the reasons that East Asian students outperform US students in mathematics may be due to linguistic transparency. For example, count numbers make the numerical decimal system more apparent (e.g., ten-one for 11) for Chinese and Korean preschoolers, and the naming of fractions in both languages explicitly names the part-whole relationship between denominators and numerators (e.g., "of four parts, one" for 1/4).

The four papers in this symposium offer evidence of how language can impact mathematical performance both positively and negatively. Paper one indicates that estimation performance across two languages differs for 5- to 7-year-old, bilingual children despite the use of common numerals and counting abilities. Paper two shows that explicitly naming the part-whole relation of fractions (e.g., one of four parts) may actually lead fourth and fifth graders to adopt a whole number bias as they estimate fractions on number lines. Paper three provides evidence that when fifth graders write their race before receiving instruction on the topic of ratios, this practice leads to poor retention of conceptual information on a delayed posttest. Paper four shows that third and fourth graders' use of decimal labels that correctly indicate place value (e.g., 0.53 = fifty-three hundredths) is related to more accurate decimal knowledge. Implications for classroom instruction and ways to improve children's mathematics performance will be discussed.

Sub Unit

• Cognitive Processes

Chair

• Clarissa Ann Thompson, Kent State University

Individual Presentations

• Number word mappings in bilingual children - Presenting Author: Elisabeth Marchand, University of California San Diego; Shirlene Wade, University of Rochester; Jessica Sullivan, Skidmore College; David Barner, University of California San Diego

• Korean naming conventions harm American children's estimates of fractional magnitude - Presenting Author: John Opfer, The Ohio State University; Clarissa Ann Thompson, Kent State University

• Linguistic context matters for reasoning: Prompts to heighten anxiety can reduce mathematical schema formation and retention - Presenting Author: Emily Lyons, University of Chicago; Nina Simms, Northwestern University; Rebecca Frausel, University of Chicago; Kreshnik Begolli, Temple; Lindsey E. Richland, University of Chicago

• Name that number: Decimal labels predict magnitude knowledge - Presenting Author: Abbey Loehr, Vanderbilt University