Editorial: Towards an Understanding of the Relationship Between Spatial Processing Ability and Numerical and Mathematical Cognition

摘要

Engaging children in spatial thinking early may be important given that research as far back asBingham’s 1937 Aptitudes and Aptitude Testing reported that spatial thinking is associated withsuccess in science, mathematics, and engineering fields. More specifically, recent research suggest astrong relationship between spatial ability and mathematics: Studies have found that performancein spatial tasks, for example mental rotation and visuospatial working memory, are correlatedwith mathematics achievement in school age children, that spatial representations are crucial inmathematical learning, and that spatial ability is closely related to numerical development. As aresult, there have been recommendations to promote spatial play in preschool and incorporatespatial reasoning into elementary school curricula.