ANS acuity and mathematics ability in preschoolers from low‐income homes: contributions of inhibitory control

Abstract

Recent findings by Libertus, Feigenson, and Halberda (2011) suggest that there is an association between the acuity of young children's approximate number system (ANS) and their mathematics ability before exposure to instruction in formal schooling. The present study examined the generalizability and validity of these findings in a sample of preschoolers from low-income homes. Children attending Head Start (N = 103) completed measures to assess ANS acuity, mathematics ability, receptive vocabulary, and inhibitory control. Results showed only a weak association between ANS acuity and mathematics ability that was reduced to non-significance when controlling for a direct measure of receptive vocabulary. Results also revealed that inhibitory control plays an important role in the relation between ANS acuity and mathematics ability. Specifically, ANS acuity accounted for significant variance in mathematics ability over and above receptive vocabulary, but only for ANS acuity trials in which surface area conflicted with numerosity. Moreover, this association became non-significant when controlling for inhibitory control. These results suggest that early mathematical experiences prior to formal schooling may influence the strength of the association between ANS acuity and mathematics ability and that inhibitory control may drive that association in young children.

Indexing the approximate number system

“…In fact, it would require a Weber fraction greater than infinity to successfully model individuals' who score less than 0.5. While such a score would appear impossible if the nonsymbolic comparison task involves only Weber-Fechner processes (a claim which is disputed by some researchers), some participants do indeed perform in this range: 10 of the 420 experimental quarters in our study resulted in accuracies below 0.5, and in Libertus et al's (2011) Fuhs & McNeil, 2013;Gebuis, Cohen Kadosh, de Haan, & Henik, 2009;Gilmore et al, 2013;Hurewitz, Gelman & Schnitzer, 2006;Nys & Content, 2012) and others have proposed alternative accounts entirely (e.g. Gebuis & Reynvoet, 2011bVerguts & Fias, 2004;Zorzi & Butterworth, 1999).…”

“…Furthermore, it may be that the lack of the predicted relationship between NRE(accuracy) and Weber fraction has some theoretical significance, implying that there are important processes involved in the nonsymbolic comparison task which do not follow the Weber-Fechner law (as suggested by, for example, Fuhs & McNeil, 2013;Gebuis, Cohen Kadosh, de Haan, & Henik, 2009;Gebuis & Reynvoet, 2011bGilmore et al, 2013;Hurewitz, Gelman & Schnitzer, 2006;Nys & Content, 2012;Verguts & Fias, 2004;Zorzi & Butterworth, 1999).…”

“…Castronovo & Gobel, 2012;Halberda et al, , 2012Inglis et al, 2011;Libertus et al, 2012;Lyons & Beilock, 2011;Piazza et al, 2010;Price et al, 2012;Sasanguie et al, 2012), others have used NREs (e.g., Bugden et al, 2012;Holloway & Ansari, 2009;Lourenco et al, 2012;Merkley & Ansari, 2010;Price et al, 2012), and others accuracy (e.g. Fuhs & McNeil, 2013;Nys et al, 2013;Wei et al, 2012). One account for why some of these researchers have found a relationship between ANS acuity and mathematics achievement, and others have not, is simply that their choice of index do not measure the same underlying phenomenon.…”

“…Fuhs & McNeil, 2013;Gebuis, Cohen Kadosh, de Haan, & Henik, 2009;Gebuis & Reynvoet, 2011bGilmore et al, 2013;Hurewitz, Gelman & Schnitzer, 2006;Nys & Content, 2012;Verguts & Fias, 2004;Zorzi & Butterworth, 1999).…”

Dot comparison stimuli are not all alike: The effect of different visual controls on ANS measurement

“…There has been recent support for an inhibition account of performance whereby on certain incongruent trials of a dot comparison task, inhibition skills play a significant role (Fuhs & McNeil, 2013;Gilmore et al 2013;Nys and Content 2012;Szűcs et al 2013). Incongruent trials are those in which the more numerous array of the pair has smaller visual characteristics, such as cumulative surface area or convex hull.…”