Spatial language training does not significantly improve verbal number skills compared to controls¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1–r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Gains in verbal number skills did not differ significantly between intervention and control groups (p = .079); equivalence was not tested. → Nadja Lindner 2025 q3 i? No significant group differences in gains for counting forwards, counting backwards, or naming Arabic numerals individually. → Nadja Lindner 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Nadja Lindner 2025¶

Nadja Lindner, Korbinian Moeller, Frauke Hildebrandt, Marcus Hasselhorn, Jan Lonnemann. (2025). Training children's spatial language skills improves their numerical magnitude understanding. Learning and Instruction 99 (2025) 102191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102191

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Robust mixed-design analysis of the combined verbal number skills score (forward counting, backward counting, naming Arabic numerals) in the same pre-post control group intervention. The article reports "no significant difference" between groups in gains.

"However, comparing the two groups on differences in performance between pre- and posttest revealed no significant difference (W = 1375.5, p = .079, r = .189)."

Nadja Lindner 2025 (2)¶

Nadja Lindner, Korbinian Moeller, Frauke Hildebrandt, Marcus Hasselhorn, Jan Lonnemann. (2025). Training children's spatial language skills improves their numerical magnitude understanding. Learning and Instruction 99 (2025) 102191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102191

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Secondary analyses separating verbal number skills into its three subcomponents in the same intervention sample. The article reports "no significant difference in gains" for any of the three subtasks.

"The comparison of the two groups with regard to differences in performance between pre- and posttest revealed no significant difference in gains between intervention and control group for counting forwards (W = 1449.5, p = .156, r = .145), counting backwards (W = 1520, p = .253, r = .104), or for naming Arabic numerals (W = 1528, p = .315, r = .099)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Spatial language training significantly improves 4-6-year-olds' spatial language comprehension compared to controls — related
• Spatial language training improves children's numerical magnitude understanding (number words comparison) — related