Symbolic number magnitude training, but not non-symbolic training, significantly improves preschoolers' exact arithmetic¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 After ten training sessions, only the symbolic training group showed a significant improvement in exact addition performance, with the time × group interaction significant. → Honoré N 2016

Evidence¶

Honoré N 2016¶

Honoré N, Noël M-P (2016) Improving Preschoolers' Arithmetic through Number Magnitude Training: The Impact of Non-Symbolic and Symbolic Training. PLoS ONE 11(11): e0166685. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166685

q3 · i3 · causal · r2

Randomized three-group training study with 56 preschoolers (non-symbolic, symbolic, control). In the exact addition task, the time × group interaction was significant, "F(2,52) = 4.38;p = .017, η2 = 0.144", and only the symbolic group improved significantly (η² = 0.265).

"the interaction between time and group was significant,F(2,52) = 4.38;p = .017, η2 = 0.144 (Fig 9). Improvement in performance over time was significant in the symbolic group only,t(52) = 4.18; p< .001, η2 = 0.265"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Training effects on the non-symbolic number line are size-specific: non-symbolic training improves large numerosities, symbolic training small numerosities — related
• Brief practice on non-symbolic approximate numerical addition or comparison tasks speeds subsequent exact symbolic arithmetic in first graders compared with non-numerical magnitude tasks — related
• Non-symbolic numerical addition practice improves accuracy on symbolic arithmetic but not sentence completion, showing the practice effect is specific to mathematics — related
• Engaging symbolic number representations does not by itself prime subsequent symbolic arithmetic: second test-set performance declined in both training groups — related
• The training-condition effect on symbolic arithmetic speed persists after controlling for training task reaction time and accuracy — related
• Symbolic training transfers to the auditory modality, improving spoken number-word magnitude comparison — related
• In Experiment 1, the numerical comparison group was more accurate on symbolic arithmetic than the line-length addition group, the only pairwise accuracy difference — related
• ANS acuity correlates with later number sets fluency but does not emerge as a unique predictor once symbolic knowledge is controlled — related
• Both numerical training conditions improve magnitude processing more than a story-understanding control condition — related
• The training shows no significant transfer to academic learning tasks, with only a marginal post-test advantage in number conservation — related