Symbolic numerical magnitude processing is as important to arithmetic as phonological awareness is to reading

Authors

Kiran Vanbinst, Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumFollow
Daniel Ansari, Numerical Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London (ON), CanadaFollow
Bert De Smedt, Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-4-2016

Journal

PLoS ONE

Volume

11

Issue

3

First Page

e0151045

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1371/journal.pone.0151045

Abstract

In this article, we tested, using a 1-year longitudinal design, whether symbolic numerical magnitude processing or children’s numerical representation of Arabic digits, is as important to arithmetic as phonological awareness is to reading. Children completed measures of symbolic comparison, phonological awareness, arithmetic, reading at the start of third grade and the latter two were retested at the start of fourth grade. Cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations indicated that symbolic comparison was a powerful domain-specific predictor of arithmetic and that phonological awareness was a unique predictor of reading. Crucially, the strength of these independent associations was not significantly different. This indicates that symbolic numerical magnitude processing is as important to arithmetic development as phonological awareness is to reading and suggests that symbolic numerical magnitude processing is a good candidate for screening children at risk for developing mathematical difficulties.