The Link Between Temporal and Mathematical Abilities in School-Age Children
Federica Cortesi, Valentina Tobia
Recently, literature has highlighted a close connection between cognitive abilities in time processing and numerical skills. According to the theory of magnitude, the construct of «magnitude» represents a possible common denominator between time processing and time management and mathematical abilities (Walsh, 2003). This study aims to investigate the relationship between time processing skills and mathematical abilities in a school-aged sample. A total of 45 primary school children (10,01 ± 0.87 years, 48.9% female) completed mathematics tests (e.g., BDE-2, Biancardi et al., 2016) and temporal assessments, including computerized tasks and self-report questionnaires. The selected sample included three children with a diagnosis of developmental dyscalculia (DD). Parents and teachers completed proxy-report questionnaires regarding the pupils’ sense of time. The results indicate significant associations among the areas explored: specifically, positive correlations emerged between certain numerical abilities (such as counting and numerical reasoning) and the temporal skills assessed. An analysis of temporal skill profiles in the three individuals with DD reveals significant difficulties in this area. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the functioning profiles of children with typical development and DD.
Keywords
Developmental Dyscalculia, Mathematical Abilities, Time Processing, Sense of Time, Primary School.