An intelligence profile and its relationship with the basic numerical abilities in typically developing children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15503/onis2021.106.118Keywords:
numerical abilities, dyscalculia, intelligence, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R)Abstract
Abstract
Aim of the study: Some cognitive functions, such as memory or attention, play an important role in the development of numerical skills (e.g. number comparison or number line estimation). A disorder associated with difficulty in acquiring basic arithmetic abilities is defined as developmental dyscalculia. Some of the cognitive indices associated with numerical material processing can be assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R). The aim of the study was to check the correlation between the level of intelligence and basic numerical abilities.
Materials and Methods: A group of 22 children aged 7 to 8 took part in the study. We focused on the relationship between the level of the WISC-R subscales’ performance and the results obtained in the tasks measuring the basic numerical skills – numerosity estimation, number comparison and number line estimation (for numerical interval 1 to 9), measured by the Prokalkulia 6-9 test.
Results: The results showed that children with difficulties in number line estimation (NLE) had a lower intelligence quotient. The level of NLE performance correlated also with the level of verbal intelligence. Lower accuracy in NLE was associated with a lower number of points obtained in the Arithmetic subscale in WISC. It concerned mainly the position of numbers located in the center of the number line (from 4 to 6). Generally, the correlation coefficient was the strongest in case of performance of the Arithmetic subscale and the level of basic numerical skills. The study results also revealed a clear relationship between results obtained in the Digit Span subscale and the performance of some tasks of the Prokalkulia 6-9 test. Namely, a higher score in this subscale was associated with the better number line estimation and number comparison (in case of different formats presented).
Conclusions: These results suggest that numerical skills correlate with certain aspects of intelligence (especially those related to the visual-spatial abilities), and thus the usefulness of WISC-R in the dyscalculia diagnosis.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Jakub Słupczewski, Katarzyna Mańkowska, Jacek Matulewski, Natalia Sobolewska, Marta Szymańska, Małgorzata Gut
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