Visual–Spatial Ability Predicts Academic Achievement Through Arithmetic and Reading Abilities

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Saifang Liu¹  Wenjun Wei¹  Yuan Chen¹  Peyre Hugo³  Jingjing Zhao¹ 

[1] School of Psychology, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Shaanxi Normal University;Center for Mental Health Development and Research, Xihua University;Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (ENS, Département d’Etudes Cognitives, PSL Research University;Paris Diderot University;Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Robert Debré Hospital

关键词: visual–spatial ability;    reading ability;    arithmetic ability;    academic achievement;    education;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591308

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

This study aimed to investigate how visual–spatial ability predicted academic achievement through arithmetic and reading abilities. Four hundred and ninety-nine Chinese children aged from 10.1 to 11.2 years were recruited and measured visual–spatial, arithmetic, and reading abilities. Their mathematical and Chinese language academic achievements were collected for two consecutive school years, respectively, during the same year as cognitive tests and 1 year after the cognitive tests. Correlation analysis indicated that visual–spatial, arithmetic, and reading abilities and academic achievements were significantly correlated with each other. The structural equation modelling analyses showed that there were two paths from visual–spatial ability to academic achievement: a major path mediated by arithmetic ability and a minor serial mediation path from visual–spatial ability to arithmetic ability to reading ability, then to academic achievement. Results shed light on the importance of visual–spatial ability in education.

【 授权许可】

CC BY