符号材料会对幼儿真实数学能力的测量产生干扰,本研究使用动画序列设计范式直接测查了94名55至75个月幼儿的非符号分数和整数计算能力,研究结果表明:幼儿的非符号分数计算能力稍弱于整数计算能力,二者呈现相似的发展模式。同时使用基于故事情景的数字记忆任务测查了幼儿的数字工作记忆能力,随着年龄增长,幼儿数字工作记忆与计算能力均不断发展,且二者相关显著,数字再认能力和数字回忆能力分别对整数和分数计算能力具有显著预测作用。
There are two types of materials, including the symbolic (e. g., Arabic number) and the non-symbolic (e. g., graph), which can he used to measure children' s mathematical capability. However, pervious literature showed that the symbolic materials would interfere with the measurement of children's true mathematical capability. This interference is also withosut exception in fraction learning. That children's learning whole-number knowledge based on Arabic numbers should respond to the difficulty in fraction learning has been commonly confirmed. Then what' s the true fraction capability of children? This gave rise to the present study's focus on children' s calculation capability. In order to avoid the interference noted above and measure true calculation abilities of children, the present study used the animation sequence research paradigm and examined ninety-four 55- to 75-month children's whole-number and fraction calculation abilities with non-symbolic materials. The results showed that although children's performance in fraction calculation was a little weaker than that of whole-number calculation, both two calculation performances were significantly above chance and developed with age. Meanwhile, researchers have proposed a working memory hypothesis to interpret the process of calculation. The working memory hypothesis suggested that working-memory is the foundation of calculation, and appropriate storing and operating of numerical inputs are essential to successful calculation. To clarify the working memory hypothesis, the present study measured children's number working memory, which is composed of number recall and number recognition, and examined its relationship with calculation abilities. Working memory was measured bya story based on number memory tasks, in which the experimenter read a story with a number to the children who should remember the number in it. The results showed that children's number recognition ability was better than that of number recall. As children g