The association between numerical magnitude processing and subtraction is more prominent for items eliciting indirect addition than for direct subtraction items¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Partial correlations controlling for performance on the other item type showed numerical magnitude processing uniquely explained performance on indirect addition items more than direct subtraction items. → Linsen 2014
Evidence¶
Linsen 2014¶
Linsen, S., Verschaffel, L., Reynvoet, B., De Smedt, B. (2014). The Association between Children's Numerical Magnitude Processing and Mental Multi-digit Subtraction. Acta Psychologica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.10.008
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Partial correlational analyses on 56 third-graders' data compared unique contributions of magnitude processing to IA-items versus DS-items. The symbolic comparison task correlated with IA-item response times when controlling for DS-items, but not vice versa; the Williams-Steiger test showed the partial correlations differed significantly (t = -2.89; p < .01).
"a significant positive correlation was found between response times on the symbolic numerical magnitude comparison tasks and response times on the IA-items, when controlling for the response times on the DS-items"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Number Sense — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Related Claims¶
- Direct subtraction items were solved more accurately and faster than indirect addition items — related
- Symbolic numerical magnitude comparison has a more unique association than number line estimation with children's speed on indirect-addition subtraction items — related
- Numerical magnitude processing is significantly associated with children's mental multi-digit subtraction performance, controlling for intellectual ability and motor speed — a broader claim this one bears on
- The three estimation tasks do not represent the same construct in young children and should not be combined into composites — related
- Explicitly taught students used the complex task-specific strategy types indirect subtraction and simplifying more than twice as often as implicitly taught students at post-test — related
- Both symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing correlate with subtraction accuracy, but subtraction speed is associated only with symbolic tasks — related
- Number line estimation and numerical magnitude comparison correlate with mathematics achievement (r = .24 to .44), with number line estimation more strongly related in older children — related
- MLD children switch between direct subtraction and subtraction by addition only when the numerical distance between subtrahend and difference is large — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
magnitude-processing-stronger-indirect-addition-items |
title |
The association between numerical magnitude processing and subtraction is more prominent for items eliciting indirect addition than for direct subtraction items |
description |
The association between numerical magnitude processing and subtraction is more prominent for items eliciting indirect addition than for direct subtraction items |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2014 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — linsen-2014 |
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