Mechanisms Underlying Numerical and Mathematical Cognition

随着世界经济越来越依赖科技创新，了解影响科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域成功的因素变得越来越重要。空间处理和数值/数学处理的熟练程度是STEM的重要组成部分，在空间任务上表现更好的人也具有更高的数学能力（例如，鲁宾斯基的建议在这项拟议的研究中开发和测试的理论的核心是，数字是沿着一条内部心理数字线表示的，左边是小数字，右边是大数字（例如，Dehaene，2011）。这里采用的理论框架认为，心理数字线是作为任务的函数构建的，并保存在工作记忆（WM）中，其中人们系统地将数字映射到WM中保存的内部心理数字线上（货车Dijck的数字线越高，他们的数学能力往往越高（霍洛威Siegler & Ramani，2009）。拟议的研究审查了一个新的想法，即这种映射过程至少部分地负责观察到的空间处理和数字处理之间的关系，认为空间资源参与了心理数字线的创建（例如，Gunderson，Ramirez，Beilock，& Levine，2012）. *该提案中的研究旨在研究空间处理在需要和不需要数值大小比较的数值和数学任务中的作用，检验空间加工参与线性表征的生成这一假设，并研究不同类型的空间能力的个体差异与数字和数学任务的表现之间的关系。不需要数值大小的比较。这项工作不仅有可能深入了解数字和数学认知的基本认知机制，而且还可以为基于空间处理的干预提供信息，旨在提高数学成绩，增加有资格进入并成功从事STEM职业的候选人数量。

As world economies are becoming increasingly more reliant on scientific and technological innovation, understanding the factors that influence success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is becoming increasingly more important. Proficiency in spatial processing and numerical/mathematical processing are important components of STEM and people who perform better on spatial tasks also have higher mathematical ability (e.g., Lubinski tions.****** Central to the theory developed and tested within this proposed research is the idea that numbers are represented along an internal mental number line with small numbers on the left and large numbers on the right (e.g., Dehaene, 2011). The theoretical framework adopted here views the mental number line as being constructed as a function of the task and held in working memory (WM) wherein people systematically map the numbers onto an internal mental number line that is held in WM (Van Dijck s number lines are, the higher their mathematical ability tends to be (Holloway Siegler & Ramani, 2009). The proposed research examines the novel idea that this mapping process is, at least partially, responsible for the observed relation between spatial processing and numerical processing, arguing that spatial resources are engaged in the creation of the mental number line (e.g., Gunderson, Ramirez, Beilock, & Levine, 2012).****** The research within this proposal serves to examine the role of spatial processing in numerical and mathematical tasks that do and do not require comparisons of numerical magnitude, test the hypothesis that spatial processing is involved in the generation of a linear representation onto which constructs are mapped and examine how individual differences in various types of spatial abilities relate to performance on numerical and mathematical tasks that do and do not require the comparisons of numerical magnitude. This work has the potential to not only garner insights into the basic cognitive mechanisms underlying numerical and mathematical cognition, but also to inform spatial-processing-based interventions aimed at improving achievement in mathematics and increasing the number of candidates qualified to enter and succeed in STEM careers.*****