Kindergarten children's non-symbolic addition performance correlates with end-of-year mathematics achievement, independent of literacy (Experiment 1)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2010 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In Experiment 1, non-symbolic addition accuracy correlated with mathematics test performance (r = .587) but not significantly with literacy (r = .297), and the mathematics correlation survived correction for literacy (r = .530). → Gilmore Camilla K. 2010

Evidence¶

Gilmore Camilla K. 2010¶

Gilmore Camilla K., McCarthy Shannon E., Spelke Elizabeth S. (2010). Non-symbolic arithmetic abilities and achievement in the first year of formal schooling in mathematics. Cognition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2010.02.002

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Experiment 1 tested 41 kindergarten children from a low- to middle-class community on a dot-array approximate addition task in March, then used the school's end-of-year mathematics and literacy tests. The correlation with mathematics "remained after correction for differences in literacy performance (r = .530, df = 37, p = .001)".

"children’s performance of non-symbolic addition only correlated significantly with their performance on the mathematics test (r = .587, df = 38, p < .001; Figure 2b), not with their performance on the literacy test (r = .297, df = 38, p = .063"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Number Sense — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Children succeed at non-symbolic approximate addition above chance with a ratio effect, without relying on non-numerical strategies — related
• Non-symbolic addition performance does not differ by socioeconomic status, though wealthier children score higher on mathematics achievement tests — related
• Non-symbolic addition performance correlates with mathematics achievement in a new sample, surviving controls for verbal intelligence and literacy (Experiment 2) — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Non-symbolic arithmetic performance correlates with children's mastery of number words and Arabic symbols (Experiment 2) — related
• ANS acuity correlates with later number sets fluency but does not emerge as a unique predictor once symbolic knowledge is controlled — related
• Ratio-effect scores correlated with mathematics achievement in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2 with easier ratios — related
• Symbolic number comparison accuracy is the only number sense measure with a significant partial correlation with math — related
• Behavioral nonsymbolic numerosity acuity (RT and accuracy ratio effects) does not reliably predict formal math achievement in typical to high-achieving participants aged 6 to 34 — related
• Symbol mastery accounts for the association between non-symbolic arithmetic and school mathematics achievement in hierarchical regression — related