Examining the Differential Role of General and Specific Processing Speed in Predicting Mathematical Achievement in Junior High School

Abstract

Processing speed is divided into general (including perceptual speed and decision speed) and specific processing speed (including reading fluency and arithmetic fluency). Despite several study findings reporting the association between processing speed and children’s mathematical achievement, it is still unclear whether general or specific processing speed differentially predicts mathematical achievement. The current study aimed to examine the role of general and specific processing speed in predicting mathematical achievements of junior high school students. Cognitive testing was performed in 212 junior school students at the beginning of the 7th grade year, along with assessment of general and specific processing speed. Relevant academic achievement scores were also recorded at the end of the 7th and 9th grade years. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that specific processing speed made a significant unique contribution in mathematical achievement by the end of the 7th grade and could significantly predict mathematical achievements in the high school entrance examinations by end of the 9th grade after controlling for age, gender, and general cognitive abilities. However, general processing speed could not predict mathematical achievements. Moreover, specific processing speed could significantly predict all academic achievements for both the 7th and 9th grade. These results demonstrated that specific processing speed, rather than general processing speed, was able to predict mathematical achievement and made a generalised contribution to all academic achievements in junior school. These findings suggest that specific processing speed could be a reflection of academic fluency and is therefore critical for long-term academic development.

Relationships between processing speed and math fluency in children with ADHD: The mediating role of working memory

“…These ndings add support for the important role of PS in learning particularly academic uency [21,24,36,40]. Only Coding (graphomotorcognitive PS) was found to be a signi cant predictor for MF in children with ADHD, which is consistent with the results of the study done by Jacobson et al [26] in children with sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms.…”

“…For examples, the Stop-signal task or the Go/no-go task were commonly used to measure motor PS in young children [19]; the Symbol Search subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV) was employed to measure children's perceptual PS [20]; and the Coding/Coding Copying subtests of the WISC-IV were used to measure children's graphomotor-cognitive PS [16]. In addition to these three types (i.e., motor, perceptual, and graphomotor-cognitive) of PS, other studies also classi ed PS into general (including perceptual PS and decision PS) and speci c (including reading and arithmetic uency) processing speed [21].…”

Processing Speed Deficit and Its Relationship with Math Fluency in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…Results of the second objective revealed that MF was significantly correlated with perceptual, cognitive, and verbal PS, suggesting lower MF performance in children with ADHD was related to their PS deficits. These findings further supported the importance of PS (a basic skill rather than an executive function) in learning, particularly academic fluency (Cheng et al, 2022;Cui et al, 2017;Formoso et al, 2018;Koponen et al, 2017). Among the various types of PS, only Coding (cognitive PS) was a significant predictor for MF in children with ADHD; this finding was consistent with the results found in children with sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms (Jacobson & Mahone, 2019).…”

Leveraging Machine Learning for Soil Fertility Prediction and Crop Management in Agriculture

“…The study utilizes machine learning to assess soil fertility degradation in a coal eld, providing insights into the impact of coal mining activities on soil health and fertility [15].…”