Linear Spatial–Numeric Associations Aid Memory for Single Numbers

Frontiers in Psychology

article

John Opfer¹  Dan Kim¹  Christopher J. Young²  Francesca Marciani³ 

[1] Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, United States;University of Chicago Consortium, United States;University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States

关键词: numerical estimation;    memory development;    numerical cognition;    spatial–numerical association;    memory;    counting;    cardinality knowledge;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00146

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Memory for numbers improves with age. One source of this improvement may be learning linear spatial–numeric associations, but previous evidence for this hypothesis likely confounded memory span with quality of numerical magnitude representations and failed to distinguish spatial–numeric mappings from other numeric abilities, such as counting or number word-cardinality mapping. To obviate the influence of memory span on numerical memory, we examined 39 3- to 5-year-olds’ ability to recall one spontaneously produced number (1–20) after a delay, and the relation between numeric recall (controlling for non-numeric recall) and quality of mapping between symbolic and non-symbolic quantities using number-line estimation, give-a-number estimation, and counting tasks. Consistent with previous reports, mapping of numerals to space, to discrete quantities, and to numbers in memory displayed a logarithmic-to-linear shift. Also, linearity of spatial–numeric mapping correlated strongly with multiple measures of numeric recall (percent correct and percent absolute error), even when controlling for age and non-numeric memory. Results suggest that linear spatial–numeric mappings may aid memory for number over and above children’s other numeric skills.

【 授权许可】

CC BY