ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2022, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (6): 1242-1252.

• Regular Articles •

Role of visual form perception in the relationship between approximate number system and arithmetical fluency

ZHANG Yiyun1(), MA Yuanyuan1, ZHAO Jin2, ZHOU Xinlin3,4,5, SHAO Yuanying1

1. 1School of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China
2Dalian University of Science and Technology, Dalian 116036, China
3State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
4Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
5Siegler Center for Innovative Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
• Received:2021-07-08 Online:2022-06-15 Published:2022-04-26
• Contact: ZHANG Yiyun E-mail:psyzxyun@163.com

Abstract:

Numerous studies have explored the role of the approximate number system in mathematical ability and found that it is associated with arithmetical fluency. However, there is a lack of systematic testing and argumentation about the reasons for the correlation, that is, why the approximate number system plays a role in arithmetic. This is essentially a question about the cognitive mechanisms of arithmetical processing. Addressing this issue will help us understand the role of the approximate number system in arithmetical processing and also provide a theoretical basis for promoting children’s arithmetical fluency development through training in the approximate number system. Studies have been conducted to theorize the reasons for the relationship between the two from a mediating perspective, suggesting that number processing is a common processing mechanism for both the approximate number system and arithmetical fluency. The hypothesis of visual form perception differs from that of traditional number domain specificity by suggesting that the approximate number system may act on arithmetical processing at the perceptual level rather than domain-specific number processing. That is, the rapid perception of shapes is a common cognitive mechanism between the approximate number system and arithmetical fluency, and the ability to perceive visual forms rapidly could explain the correlation between the two. The approximate number system and arithmetical fluency rely on the rapid perception of forms during processing, and both involve rapid processing of complex visual stimuli during processing. Cognitive-behavioral measures and intervention training studies with children, adults, and special populations (e.g., individuals with dyscalculia and visual form perception disorders) have been conducted to support the visual form perception hypothesis. These studies found a correlation between visual form perception and arithmetical fluency, such that the approximate number system relies on visual perceptual information during processing and that rapid visual perceptual processing can explain the correlation between the acuity of the approximate number system and arithmetical fluency. However, the current research on the hypothesis of visual form perception is still somewhat limited, mainly because these studies focus solely on the relationship between visual form perception and the approximate number system and arithmetical fluency. However, it is still unclear why visual form perception plays a role in the relationship between the two (i.e., the processing mechanism of the role of visual form perception in the relationship between the two), and there is a lack of theoretical support and direct testing of experimental data. Therefore, future research needs to combine multiple research methods and techniques to explore the role of form-based fast perceptual abilities in different mathematical processing methods from multiple perspectives. At the same time, the influence of other general cognitive factors, such as inhibitory control and visual attention, on the relationship between the two should also be considered to explore in depth which cognitive components actually play a role in the relationship between the approximate number system and arithmetical fluency. In addition, the visual form perception hypothesis needs to be tested in practical applications to provide a theoretical basis for effective interventions for computational difficulties and the effective teaching of mathematics.

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