Higher-SES preschoolers outperform lower-SES peers on math, spatial, EF, and vocabulary measures, except the Tap Test where the difference is a non-significant trend¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2014 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2019: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Independent-samples t-tests showed higher-SES children scored significantly better on all measures except the Tap Test (p = .056); the SES gap on WIAT math had Hedges g = 1.79 and on TOSA g = 1.63. → Verdine 2014

Evidence¶

Verdine 2014¶

Verdine, B. N., Irwin, C. M., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2014). Contributions of Executive Function and Spatial Skills to Preschool Mathematics Achievement. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 126, 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.02.012

q3 · i3 · associational · r2

Independent-samples t-tests comparing lower-SES (n = 20) and higher-SES (n = 24) groups, reported in Results and Table 3 with Hedges g effect sizes: WIAT g = 1.79, TOSA g = 1.63, VMI g = 1.12, FIST g = 0.84, PPVT percentile g = 1.81; the Tap Test showed only a trend, p = .056 (g = 0.58).

"Children in the higher-SES group demonstrated significantly better performance on all the measures except the Tap Test (see Table 3), which had a similar trend (p = .056)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Socioeconomic Status — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Vocabulary (PPVT) is not a significant unique predictor of preschool mathematics once EF and spatial skills are in the model, despite alone accounting for 41% of variance — related
• Spatial skills uniquely predict 27% of the variance in preschool mathematics over and above executive function — related
• Early socioeconomic math performance gaps grow over time, producing substantial differences by fourth grade — related
• EF measures jointly account for 43% of math variance, with inhibition (Tap Test) a significant unique predictor but cognitive flexibility (FIST) not significant in any model — related
• Executive function and spatial skills jointly predict 70% of the variance in age-4 mathematics performance without an explicit number-knowledge measure — related
• Spatial assembly skill measured at age 3 (TOSA) strongly correlates with mathematics performance one year later at age 4 — related