Domain-general and domain-specific influences on emerging numerical cognition: Contrasting uni-and bidirectional prediction models

Domain-general skills such as executive functions (EFs), and domain-specific skills such as non-symbolic number sense and symbolic understanding are often pitted against each other as predictors of emerging maths. Here we aimed to investigate early childhood relations between these foundational skil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognition 2021-10, Vol.215, p.104816-104816, Article 104816
Main Authors: Coolen, I., Merkley, R., Ansari, D., Dove, E., Dowker, A., Mills, A., Murphy, V., von Spreckelsen, M., Scerif, G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bidirectional
Bidirectionality
Childhood
Children
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cognitive skills
Executive functions
Numeracy
Numerical cognition
Prediction models
Preschoolers
Symbols
Unidirectional
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Summary:Domain-general skills such as executive functions (EFs), and domain-specific skills such as non-symbolic number sense and symbolic understanding are often pitted against each other as predictors of emerging maths. Here we aimed to investigate early childhood relations between these foundational skills with a balanced, longitudinal design. One hundred and seventy 3- and 4-year-old-children were tested at two time points, 5 months apart, on four domain-general executive and five domain-specific numeracy tasks. A latent EF factor was a strong predictor of symbolic maths and of their growth. In addition, stronger symbolic maths at Time 1 was correlated with later stronger EF, but symbolic maths did not predict EF growth. Our findings provide novel insights into dynamic interplay between general and specific cognitive skills contributing to preschool maths.
ISSN:0010-0277
1873-7838
DOI:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104816