Symbolic numerical magnitude proceing is as important to arithmetic as phonological awarene is to reading

Abstract

In this article, we tested, using a 1-year longitudinal design, whether symbolic numerical magnitude proceing or children's numerical representation of Arabic digits, is as important to arithmetic as phonological awarene is to reading. Children completed measures of symbolic comparison, phonological awarene, arithmetic, reading at the start of third grade and the latter two were retested at the start of fourth grade. Cro-sectional and longitudinal correlations indicated that symbolic comparison was a powerful domain-specific predictor of arithmetic and that phonological awarene was a unique predictor of reading. Crucially, the strength of these independent aociations was not significantly different. This indicates that symbolic numerical magnitude proceing is as important to arithmetic development as phonological awarene is to reading and suggests that symbolic numerical magnitude proceing is a good candidate for screening children at risk for developing mathematical difficulties.