Improving Math Ability via Primitive Number Sense Training

通过原始数感训练提高数学能力

• 批准号: 9262261
• 负责人: ELIZABETH M BRANNON
• 金额: $ 39.17万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-04-10 至 2019-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9262261
• 关键词: 3 year old; Academic achievement; Adult; Animals; Arithmetic; Basic Science; Behavioral; Brain; Brain region; Child; Cognition; Cognitive; Cognitive Science; Data; Development; Early Intervention; Foundations; Functional Imaging; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Future; General Population; Goals; Health; Human; Human Development; Incidence; Individual Differences; Intervention; Intervention Studies; Investigation; Jordan; Lead; Left; Letters; Life; Link; Longitudinal Studies; Mathematics; Meta-Analysis; Methods; Neurosciences; Nursery Schools; Outcome; Pattern; Performance; Plant Roots; Procedures; Psyche structure; Psychological Transfer; Psychophysics; Readiness; Research; Sampling; Schools; Series; Standardization; System; Testing; Training; Width; Work; base; behavioral study; brain behavior; cognitive neuroscience; efficacy testing; experimental study; first grade; imaging study; improved; innovation; intraparietal sulcus; literacy; mathematical ability; mathematical difficulties; mathematics disability; mental representation; neuromechanism; novel; operation; public health relevance; relating to nervous system; response; scaffold; school district; skills; socioeconomics; success

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mathematical ability is essential for almost every aspect of human existence and yet there is large variability in math competency in adults and extremely poor math ability is linked with long-term health problems and higher criminality (Parsons and Bynner, 2005). Math skills at school-entry predict later math achievement and are a better predictor of later overall academic achievement than literacy skills (Jordan, et al., 2009 Duncan et al., 2007). Therefore improving early math skills in very young children could have global effects on academic success and perhaps life outcomes. The goal of this proposal is to build upon a recent finding from our research group demonstrating that training with approximate nonsymbolic arithmetic (ApprA) using dot arrays leads to positive transfer in exact symbolic arithmetic (SymA) performance (Park and Brannon, In press). In Aim 1 we ask why ApprA training improves SymA. We decompose the cognitive ingredients of ApprA training to assess which aspects are critical for improving symbolic arithmetic. In Aim 2 we test specific predictions about how overlap in the brain regions that support approximate nonsymbolic arithmetic and exact symbolic arithmetic give rise to this transfer effect. For example, we ask whether ApprA training changes the neural tuning curves in the intraparietal sulcus, which are known to embody the mental representation of quantity. Such a finding would provide strong evidence that ApprA improves SymA by changing the primitive number sense. Finally Aim 3 proposes an iPad intervention study in a diverse public school district to test the efficacy of ApprA training to improve SymA in young children. Pilot data is presented for all three aims. Understanding the relationship between ApprA and SymA could have broad implications for understanding the roots of human mathematics. While ApprA training is unlikely to be practically useful as an avenue for improving math competency in adults or older children who have mastered the symbolic number system it could be critically important for improving math ability in very young children who have yet to master the symbolic number system.

描述（由申请人提供）：数学能力对人类生存的几乎每个方面都是必不可少的，但成年人的数学能力存在很大的差异，极差的数学能力与长期健康问题和较高的犯罪率有关（Parsons和Bynner，2005）。入学时的数学技能可以预测以后的数学成绩，并且比识字技能更能预测以后的整体学业成绩（Jordan等人，2009邓肯等人，2007年）。因此，提高幼儿早期的数学技能可能会对学业成功甚至生活结果产生全球性影响。该提案的目标是建立在我们研究小组最近的一项发现的基础上，该发现表明使用点阵列进行近似非符号算术（ApprA）的训练会导致精确符号算术（SymA）性能的正迁移（Park和Brannon，出版中）。在目标1中，我们问为什么ApprA训练可以改善SymA。我们分解了ApprA训练的认知成分，以评估哪些方面对改善符号运算至关重要。在目标2中，我们测试了特定的预测，即支持近似非符号算术和精确符号算术的大脑区域如何重叠，从而产生这种转移效应。例如，我们问ApprA训练是否会改变顶内沟的神经调谐曲线，这是已知的，体现了心理表征的数量。这一发现将提供强有力的证据，证明ApprA通过改变原始数感来改善SymA。最后，目标3提出了一个iPad的干预研究，在一个多样化的公立学区，以测试的ApprA培训，以提高SymA在幼儿的有效性。为所有三个目标提供了试点数据。了解ApprA和SymA之间的关系可能对了解人类数学的根源具有广泛的影响。虽然ApprA训练不太可能作为提高已经掌握符号数字系统的成年人或年龄较大的儿童的数学能力的途径，但对于提高尚未掌握符号数字系统的非常年幼的儿童的数学能力至关重要。