Different domain-general factors uniquely account for variation in different arithmetic skills¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2014 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
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q3 i? Processing speed and RAN uniquely predict basic calculation fluency, while visuo-spatial sketchpad, reasoning, and oral language uniquely predict written arithmetic, and central executive, reasoning, processing speed, and oral language uniquely predict word problems. → Cowan 2014
Evidence¶
Cowan 2014¶
Cowan, R., & Powell, D. (2014). The Contributions of Domain-General and Numerical Factors to Third-Grade Arithmetic Skills and Mathematical Learning Disability. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(1), 214-229. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034097
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Fixed-order regression analyses for written arithmetic in 258 third graders. When domain-general factors were entered first, five factors uniquely accounted for variance; when entered last, only visuo-spatial sketchpad, reasoning, and oral language remained significant, each accounting for 1%.
"When entered first (Models A-1 and B-1), the unique predictors are visuo-spatial sketchpad (2%, t = 2.97, p = .003), central executive (1%, t = 2.11, p = .036), reasoning (4%, t = 4.08, p < .001), RAN (1%, t = 2.05, p = .041), and oral language (2%, t = 2.88, p = .004)"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Operations and Place Value — outcome: instruction changes it
- Spatial Ability — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Domain-general factors account for more variance in written arithmetic and word problems than in basic calculation fluency — related
- Both number system knowledge and estimation uniquely account for variance in all three third-grade arithmetic skills independently of each other and of domain-general factors — related
- Phonological awareness and verbal working memory are the most consistently unique domain general predictors of grade 1 math outcomes — related
- Numeral comparison, but not quantity enumeration, uniquely accounts for variation in basic calculation fluency — related
- RAN correlates more strongly with arithmetic calculation tasks than with general math achievement tests — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
domain-general-factors-skill-specific |
title |
Different domain-general factors uniquely account for variation in different arithmetic skills |
description |
Different domain-general factors uniquely account for variation in different arithmetic skills |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2014 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-24 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — cowan-2014 |
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