Addition fluency strongly predicts third-grade multiplication fluency, and a significant working memory association emerges after controlling for addition fluency¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The addition fluency construct strongly predicted multiplication skill, and working memory's association with multiplication emerged only after partialling out its covariance with addition fluency. → Rautiainen 2026

Evidence¶

Rautiainen 2026¶

Rautiainen, J., Aro, T., Aro, M., Tolvanen, A., & Koponen, T. (2026). Hierarchical Nature of Arithmetic Skills: Similarities and Differences Between Arithmetic Operations. Journal of Educational Psychology, Early online. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0001066

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Addition fluency latent SEM model in the longitudinal study (n = 207), contrasting the addition fluency model against the baseline model. The article states "working memory’s significant association with multiplication skill fluency was revealed" once covariance with addition fluency was captured; the model explained R2 = .40 (R2 = .48 prior residualization).

"Contrary to the baseline model, working memory’s significant association with multiplication skill fluency was revealed after controlling for the covariance with the hierarchically lower addition fluency skill. The addition model explained a good proportion of multiplication fluency (R2 = .40, prior residualization R2 = .48)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Addition fluency captures more shared variance with serial retrieval fluency than subtraction fluency does — related
• Subtraction fluency predicts third-grade multiplication fluency on par with addition fluency, with a similar emergent working memory association — related
• In the reading fluency contrast model, numerical abilities and serial retrieval fluency predict multiplication fluency but working memory does not, indicating partial domain-specificity — related
• Numerical abilities and serial retrieval fluency predict third-grade multiplication fluency, while working memory shows no significant association in the baseline model — related
• IQ and working memory are reliable predictors of academic achievement at the beginning of school when domain knowledge is not controlled — related