Predictors of future mathematical performance in children: cognition, behaviour and brain structure
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1
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neuroscience, Sweden
Background: Mathematical underachievement at school age has detrimental consequences for academic success and future employment status. We aimed to extend understanding of the predictive ability of cognitive abilities (reasoning, working memory, speed of processing), behavioural symptoms (inattentive, anxious/ depressed) and brain structure (cortical thickness in the intra-parietal sulcus, IPS) for future mathematical performance. We tested mediating models to determine the association of these cognitive abilities and behavioural symptoms with children’s future mathematical performance.
Methods: Included in this study were school age children 6-16 years at the first time of testing who completed neuropsychological testing (n=243) and brain MRI (n=53), and were tested again two years later. Latent variables for cognitive abilities and inattentive symptoms were created and used in all analyses. Mediation models were tested using a series of regression analyses.
Results: Regression analyses revealed that although cognitive abilities (p=.000) and inattentive symptoms (p=.003) (but not anxious/depressed symptoms) were predictive of future mathematics, the inattentive symptoms prediction reduced to almost zero after accounting for baseline cognitive abilities (p=.083). Thus cognitive abilities was a full mediator. The cognitive abilities prediction did not change with sex (p=.327) but did change with age (p=.001), and persisted even after accounting for both baseline inattentive symptoms and mathematics (p=.000). Cortical thickness in the left IPS (p=.000) (but not right IPS) was predictive of future mathematics and this did not change with sex (p=.527) or age (p=.465), and persisted even after accounting for baseline cognitive abilities (p=.000).
Discussion: Cognitive abilities and cortical thickness in the left IPS, but not behavioural symptoms, are unique predictors of future mathematical performance in school age children. Cognitive abilities have a causal role in the development of mathematical performance in school age children.
Keywords:
Mathematics,
inattention,
cortical thickness,
Intraparietal sulcus,
Cognition,
Children
Conference:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Oral
Topic:
Other
Citation:
Spencer-Smith
M,
Almeida
R,
Darki
F and
Klingberg
T
(2013). Predictors of future mathematical performance in children: cognition, behaviour and brain structure.
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00054
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Received:
25 Oct 2013;
Published Online:
25 Nov 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Megan Spencer-Smith, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neuroscience, Stockholm, Sweden, megan.spencer-smith@mcri.edu.au