Cassidy M Salentine, Johanna Bick, Steven P Woods, Paul T Cirino
{"title":"Timed and untimed writing and math: shared and differential cognitive predictors in primary school.","authors":"Cassidy M Salentine, Johanna Bick, Steven P Woods, Paul T Cirino","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2025.2477733","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The relationship between writing and math achievement is not well understood. Phonological awareness (PA), working memory (WM), and fine motor skills (FMS) have been individually linked to theories of writing and math, yet are rarely considered together. The current study evaluates the shared cognitive factors underlying writing and math performance, both timed (e.g. fluency/automaticity) and untimed (e.g. spelling and math computation). It does so among third- through fifth-graders (<i>n</i> = 677) who vary in academic abilities. Results revealed differential relationships. WM had a stronger effect on writing than math for timed but not untimed outcomes. PA had a stronger effect on writing compared to math for both timed and untimed outcomes. PA also had a stronger effect on untimed math compared to timed math. Further, WM fully mediated the relationship between FMS and untimed writing but only partially mediated the relationship between FMS and other academic outcomes. Additionally, PA partially mediated the relationship between WM and all writing and math skills These findings underscore the relevance of FMS, WM, and PA in both writing and math achievement, separately and together. These findings additionally provide guidance for developing a firmer theoretical and empirical understanding of the interrelations of writing and math.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-25"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child Neuropsychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2025.2477733","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The relationship between writing and math achievement is not well understood. Phonological awareness (PA), working memory (WM), and fine motor skills (FMS) have been individually linked to theories of writing and math, yet are rarely considered together. The current study evaluates the shared cognitive factors underlying writing and math performance, both timed (e.g. fluency/automaticity) and untimed (e.g. spelling and math computation). It does so among third- through fifth-graders (n = 677) who vary in academic abilities. Results revealed differential relationships. WM had a stronger effect on writing than math for timed but not untimed outcomes. PA had a stronger effect on writing compared to math for both timed and untimed outcomes. PA also had a stronger effect on untimed math compared to timed math. Further, WM fully mediated the relationship between FMS and untimed writing but only partially mediated the relationship between FMS and other academic outcomes. Additionally, PA partially mediated the relationship between WM and all writing and math skills These findings underscore the relevance of FMS, WM, and PA in both writing and math achievement, separately and together. These findings additionally provide guidance for developing a firmer theoretical and empirical understanding of the interrelations of writing and math.
期刊介绍:
The purposes of Child Neuropsychology are to:
publish research on the neuropsychological effects of disorders which affect brain functioning in children and adolescents,
publish research on the neuropsychological dimensions of development in childhood and adolescence and
promote the integration of theory, method and research findings in child/developmental neuropsychology.
The primary emphasis of Child Neuropsychology is to publish original empirical research. Theoretical and methodological papers and theoretically relevant case studies are welcome. Critical reviews of topics pertinent to child/developmental neuropsychology are encouraged.
Emphases of interest include the following: information processing mechanisms; the impact of injury or disease on neuropsychological functioning; behavioral cognitive and pharmacological approaches to treatment/intervention; psychosocial correlates of neuropsychological dysfunction; definitive normative, reliability, and validity studies of psychometric and other procedures used in the neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents. Articles on both normal and dysfunctional development that are relevant to the aforementioned dimensions are welcome. Multiple approaches (e.g., basic, applied, clinical) and multiple methodologies (e.g., cross-sectional, longitudinal, experimental, multivariate, correlational) are appropriate. Books, media, and software reviews will be published.