25.06.2019 - Denes Szucs

Wer: Denes Szucs

Wann: 25.06.2019 18:30 Uhr

Wo: HS 02.21

Difficulties in mathematical development are a serious handicap for children´s academic career. Cognitive as well as emotional factors have been discussed as underlying factors. I will review various large-sample projects that examined potentially foundational variables supporting cognitive mathematical development and underlying developmental dyscalculia (DD) as well as a project that examined an emotional block of mathematical performance (mathematics anxiety; MA). First, we have screened a large population (n=1004) for DD and we have contrasted several theories of DD. We found that DD was related to weak visuo-spatial memory and weak inhibition skills. We could not support the number sense theory of mathematical development or dyscalculia. We have replicated and extended these findings in a follow-up cross sectional study of Grade 2, 4 and 6 children (n≈1250) that also considered general intelligence. We found that visual and verbal working memory were good correlates of standardized maths performance while number sense related variables were again negligible predictors of maths. Another study (n≈1700) found that MA and DD showed strong dissociation. These findings suggest that cognitive and emotional blocks of mathematical development need different interventions.