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The Role of Intuitive Arithmetic in Developing Mathematical Skill / Emily Maja Szkudlarek.
- Format:
- Book
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Author/Creator:
- Szkudlarek, Emily Maja, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Cognitive psychology.
- Developmental psychology.
- Mathematics education.
- Psychology--Penn dissertations.
- Penn dissertations--Psychology.
- Local Subjects:
- Cognitive psychology.
- Developmental psychology.
- Mathematics education.
- Psychology--Penn dissertations.
- Penn dissertations--Psychology.
- Genre:
- Academic theses.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (169 pages)
- Contained In:
- Dissertations Abstracts International 81-05A.
- Place of Publication:
- [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] : University of Pennsylvania ; Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2019.
- Language Note:
- English
- System Details:
- Mode of access: World Wide Web.
- text file
- Summary:
- Symbolic mathematics allows humans to represent and describe the logic of the world around us. Although we typically think about math symbolically, humans across the lifespan and a wide variety of animal species spontaneously exhibit numerical competence without reference to formal mathematics. This intuitive ability to approximately compare, estimate, and manipulate large non-symbolic numerical quantities without language or symbols is called the Approximate Number System. The four chapters of this dissertation explore whether non-symbolic, approximate calculation can function as a bridge between our Approximate Number System and symbolic mathematics for children at the beginning of formal math education and university undergraduates. Chapter 1 explores how non-symbolic and symbolic ratio reasoning relates to general math skill and Approximate Number System acuity in elementary school children. Chapter 2 examines whether children and adults can perform a non-symbolic, approximate division computation, and how this ability relates to non-symbolic and symbolic mathematical skill. Chapter 3 tests the robustness and mechanism of a non-symbolic, approximate addition and subtraction training paradigm designed to improve arithmetic fluency in university undergraduates. Chapter 4 investigates whether the negative relation between math anxiety and symbolic math performance extends to approximate, non-symbolic calculation. Together, Chapters 1 and 2 provide evidence that non-symbolic calculation ability functions as a mechanism of the relation between Approximate Number System acuity and symbolic math. Chapters 3 and 4 identify populations of students for whom practice with non-symbolic calculation may or may not be beneficial. In sum, this dissertation describes how non-symbolic, approximate calculation allows students harness their intuitive sense of number in a mathematical context.
- Notes:
- Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 81-05, Section: A.
- Advisors: Brannon, Elizabeth M.; Committee members: Daniel Swingley; Allyson Mackey.
- Department: Psychology.
- Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2019.
- Local Notes:
- School code: 0175
- ISBN:
- 9781088366257
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license.
- This item is not available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
- This item must not be added to any third party search indexes.
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