The longitudinal contribution of mapping to arithmetic: Do numeral knowledge, inhibition or analogical reasoning matter?

BackgroundRecent studies have revealed the association between mapping and arithmetic (Ferres-Forga et al., J. Numer. Cogn., 8, 2022, 123; LeFevre et al., J. Numer. Cogn., 8, 2022, 1).AimThe underlying mechanism remains unclear.Materials & MethodsThe current study recruited 118 kindergarten children and followed up on them three times at 6-month intervals. They completed measures to assess mapping skills (T1), non-verbal IQ (T1), numeral knowledge (T2), inhibitory control (T2), analogical reasoning (T2) and arithmetic (T3).ResultsThe results showed that mapping accounted for significant variance in arithmetic ability over and above age, gender and non-verbal IQ. Furthermore, analogical reasoning played an important role in the relationship between mapping and mathematics ability.DiscussionThe findings suggest the association between mapping and mathematics ability prior to formal schooling.ConclusionAnalogical reasoning, rather than numeral knowledge or inhibitory control, may drive that association in young children.