The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance
We explored the multi-dimensionality of mathematics and working memory (WM) by examining the differential relationships between different areas of mathematics with visual, spatial, and verbal WM. Previous research proposed that visuospatial WM is a unique predictor of mathematics, but neuroimaging a...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Numerical Cognition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/7159 |
| _version_ | 1797968543323521024 |
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| author | Sarit Silverman Sarit Ashkenazi |
| author_facet | Sarit Silverman Sarit Ashkenazi |
| author_sort | Sarit Silverman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We explored the multi-dimensionality of mathematics and working memory (WM) by examining the differential relationships between different areas of mathematics with visual, spatial, and verbal WM. Previous research proposed that visuospatial WM is a unique predictor of mathematics, but neuroimaging and cognitive research suggest divisions within visuospatial WM. We created a new WM task to isolate visuospatial WM’s visual and spatial components and maintained consistent design across tasks and found that spatial WM predicted mathematics and visual WM did not. We also found that verbal WM predicted all mathematics areas included, while spatial WM was a unique predictor of numerical understanding and geometry, not arithmetic and estimation. These findings integrate previous neuroimaging, cognitive and educational psychology research and further our understanding of the relationship between WM and mathematics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:48:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2da289b1b08b4a9f88296a34cf1a9a11 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2363-8761 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:48:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for Psychology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Numerical Cognition |
| spelling | doaj.art-2da289b1b08b4a9f88296a34cf1a9a112023-01-02T17:05:53ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Insitute for PsychologyJournal of Numerical Cognition2363-87612022-03-018122624310.5964/jnc.7159jnc.7159The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics PerformanceSarit Silverman0Sarit Ashkenazi1The Seymour Fox School of Education, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelThe Seymour Fox School of Education, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelWe explored the multi-dimensionality of mathematics and working memory (WM) by examining the differential relationships between different areas of mathematics with visual, spatial, and verbal WM. Previous research proposed that visuospatial WM is a unique predictor of mathematics, but neuroimaging and cognitive research suggest divisions within visuospatial WM. We created a new WM task to isolate visuospatial WM’s visual and spatial components and maintained consistent design across tasks and found that spatial WM predicted mathematics and visual WM did not. We also found that verbal WM predicted all mathematics areas included, while spatial WM was a unique predictor of numerical understanding and geometry, not arithmetic and estimation. These findings integrate previous neuroimaging, cognitive and educational psychology research and further our understanding of the relationship between WM and mathematics.https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/7159spatial working memoryvisual working memorymathematicsspatial skillsmulti-dimensionality of mathematics |
| spellingShingle | Sarit Silverman Sarit Ashkenazi The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance Journal of Numerical Cognition spatial working memory visual working memory mathematics spatial skills multi-dimensionality of mathematics |
| title | The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance |
| title_full | The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance |
| title_fullStr | The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance |
| title_short | The Unique Role of Spatial Working Memory for Mathematics Performance |
| title_sort | unique role of spatial working memory for mathematics performance |
| topic | spatial working memory visual working memory mathematics spatial skills multi-dimensionality of mathematics |
| url | https://jnc.psychopen.eu/index.php/jnc/article/view/7159 |
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