Both symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude processing correlate with subtraction accuracy, but subtraction speed is associated only with symbolic tasks¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Accuracy on the subtraction task was associated with symbolic comparison, nonsymbolic comparison, and symbolic number line estimation, whereas speed was associated only with the two symbolic tasks. → 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 · i2 · medium correlations, partial r = .35–.50 · associational · r2

Partial correlations (controlling for intellectual ability) in the 56-child sample dissociated accuracy and speed: subtraction accuracy correlated with both symbolic and nonsymbolic tasks, while "the speed by which children solved the subtraction items was only associated with the two symbolic tasks". In Table 3, subtraction response times correlated with symbolic comparison RT (r = .43 and .50 for direct-subtraction and indirect-addition items) and symbolic number line error (r = .37 and .35), but not significantly with nonsymbolic comparison (r = -.26 and -.24). The data are cross-sectional, and the authors note they do not allow causal interpretation.

"By contrast, the speed by which children solved the subtraction items was only associated with the two symbolic tasks and not with the nonsymbolic tasks, indicating the association to be more prominent for the symbolic tasks"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

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

Related Claims¶

• 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
• Both numerical magnitude processing tasks correlate positively with arithmetic fact retrieval, more strongly for symbolic — related
• Symbolic number comparison accuracy is the only number sense measure with a significant partial correlation with math — 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
• More accurate symbolic number line representations relate to better performance in exact, but not approximate, addition formats — related
• The three estimation tasks do not represent the same construct in young children and should not be combined into composites — related
• The association between one-digit comparison and mathematics achievement decreases across grades, while the two-digit association remains stable — related
• Direct subtraction items were solved more accurately and faster than indirect addition items — related
• The association between numerical magnitude processing and subtraction is more prominent for items eliciting indirect addition than for direct subtraction items — related
• Symbolic magnitude comparison is a stronger longitudinal predictor of mathematical achievement than nonsymbolic comparison — related
• Decimal magnitude comparison accuracy is unrelated to direction of effect judgment accuracy, indicating the errors do not stem from poor access to decimal magnitudes — related