Maria Chiara Passolunghi

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• Full Professor at University of Trieste

Numerical abilities are crucial in numerate societies, which is why it is important to observe their development early in childhood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interplay between domain-general (i.e., executive functions) and domain-specific precursors in predicting the development of cardinality understanding in early presc...

Stimuli perceived as threatening subtly influence how individuals orient their attention, a phenomenon labelled as attentional bias. According to literature, individuals with negatives attitudes toward math would exhibit attentional bias when presented with math-related stimuli. However, attentional bias and its relationships with math anxiety, mat...

In recent years, there has been a growing enrolment of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in Italian higher-education programmes, underscoring the need for universities to support these students by identifying their strengths and weaknesses and developing targeted interventions. However, literature focusing on university students w...

Math self-competence beliefs, namely, math self-efficacy and math self-concept, are crucial factors in sustaining math learning. Since there is a lack of literature on interventions targeting math self-competence beliefs in middle school students, the aim of this systematic review is to provide a narrative synthesis of the characteristics of interv...

Evidence has shown the importance of early numerical skills in sustaining future mathematical abilities. However , the literature has largely ignored the potential of educational videos to improve numerical abilities in children at risk of developing numeracy difficulties. The aim of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of a numerical...

Based on data for N = 2,756 children (1,410 girls; Mage = 8.10 years) from 16 data sets spanning five nations, this study investigated relations between national gender disparities and children’s beliefs about gender and academic subjects. One national-level gender disparity involved inequalities in socioeconomic standing favoring adult males over...

Introduction In today's world, which is progressively oriented towards science and technology and facing a growing demand for skilled professionals, it becomes essential to identify the factors that encourage individuals to pursue careers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Previous research has shown that affective-m...

Previous research has suggested that math anxiety may contribute to poor math performance by interfering with working memory. However, only a limited number of studies investigated the mediating role of working memory in the math anxiety-math performance link in school-aged children. Unlike math anxiety, ego-resiliency is a personality resource tha...

In recent years, an increasing number of students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) have enrolled in universities. The present exploratory study examined the frequency of use and appreciation of universal (open to every student) and specific services (offered to students with SLDs) and their relation to age, academic achievement, satisfact...

According to the processing efficiency theory (PET), math anxiety would interfere with working memory resources, negatively affecting mathematical abilities. To date, few studies have explored how the interaction between math anxiety and working memory would affect different types of math tasks, especially in primary school children. Therefore, the...

A crucial component of mathematics curriculum in primary education is represented by the ability to solve arithmetic word problems. Previous studies investigated predominantly the cognitive factors underlying this skill, neglecting the role of emotional (e.g. math anxiety – MA) and metacognitive aspects (e.g. perceived difficulty). Some findings su...

Understanding the individual qualities sustaining students with and without specific learning disabilities (SLDs) is key to supporting their academic achievement and well-being. In this study, we investigated the differences between students with and without SLDs in terms of intraindividual factors (soft skills and study-related factors), academic...

Various studies have highlighted the important influence of math ability in a numerate society. In this study, we investigated the influence of emotional (math anxiety and math enjoyment) and cognitive-motivational (math self-efficacy) factors on math performance. Participants were 145 fifth-grade students (84 boys and 61 girls). The results showed...

Solving simple arithmetic word problems is a major ability that children must acquire while in primary education. Yet, many students struggle with this maths task. The aim of the present contribution is to give an overview of how to effectively support problem-solving abilities in school-age children. For many decades a very popular problem-solving...

School closures because of the COVID-19 emergency forced a rapid transition to distance learning worldwide. In this study, we investigated teachers’ experiences with distance learning during the first Italian lockdown. A sample of 270 primary and secondary teachers answered a semi-structured questionnaire administered between April and May 2020. Di...

Introduction Children’s involvement in mathematics-related activities in the home environment is associated with the development of their early numeracy over the preschool years. Intervention studies to promote parents’ awareness and provision of mathematics-related home activities are however scant. In this study we developed and tested the effect...

Children’s performance in arithmetic word problems (AWPs) predicts their academic success and their future employment and earnings in adulthood. Understanding the nature and difficulties of interpreting and solving AWPs is important for theoretical, educational, and social reasons. We investigated the relation between primary school children’s perf...

Previous studies mainly investigated working memory (WM) and math anxiety (MA) leaving almost unexplored other aspects of executive functions (EFs) in middle school period. Filling the gap in the literature, the aims of this study were: (1) to better examine the relationship between MA and math performance, (2) to better examine the relationship be...

Working Memory (WM) plays a crucial role in supporting children's mathematical learning. However, there is no consensus on the relative contributions of different WM domains (i.e., verbal, visuo-spatial, and numerical-verbal) and processes (i.e., low-control and high-control) to mathematical performance, specifically before and after the onset of f...

The complex interplay between cognitive and emotional factors at the base of maths achievement started to be evaluated and quantified in the last few years. Only a few studies, anyway, examine at the same time, the role of working memory (visuospa-tial and verbal subsystem) and maths anxiety together with self-competence, on maths attainment. To in...

Early numerical abilities predict later math achievement and could be improved in children by using various training methods. As the literature on the use of training videos to develop numerical abilities is still surprisingly scant, the aim of the present study was to test the efficacy of a numerical training video on the development of counting a...

Mathematical skills are essential to mastering everyday activities, making professional choices, and exercising citizenship in a numerate society. There is extensive evidence of the relationship between math anxiety (MA) and working memory (WM) influencing math attainment. Studies have mainly considered adult samples, however, leaving primary schoo...

Only a few studies have investigated inhibitory sub-components in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). This study investigates interference suppression, through global-local processes, in 50 people with DS matched for mental age (MA) with 63 typically developing children (MA = 23.6 and 6.8 years respectively). We adapted and administered a non-verb...

Given the increase of mental health problems in youth, focusing on the promotion of psychological well-being is essential. Among the variables recognized as linked to children’s psychological well-being, trait emotional intelligence, emotional self-efficacy and coping seem to be crucial, whereas the role played by intelligence is still controversia...

While previous research on inhibition in people with Down syndrome (DS) reported contradictory results, with no explicit theoretical model, on the other hand, a more homogeneous impaired profile on the delay of gratification skills emerged. The main goal of the present study was to investigate response inhibition, interference suppression, and dela...

Background Few studies have investigated inhibition in people with Down syndrome (DS), indicating contradictory results. Aim This meta-analysis investigated if people with DS show more severe difficulties on inhibition, compared to typically developing (TD) children matched on a measure of mental age (MA). Methods and procedures Literature search...

Solving arithmetic word problems is a fundamental skill that children must learn in the learning of mathematics. However, many students perform weakly on these tasks, even if they can successfully solve corresponding arithmetic computation exercises. This suggests that aspects other than mathematical skills contribute to problem solving success. Th...

Executive Functions (EFs) are crucial top-down processes characterized by cool and hot aspects, required for goal-directed behaviour. Only a few studies evaluated and trained concurrently cool and hot EFs. Therefore, we promote a training aiming to enhance both EFs components. A total of 91 children attending the second year of kindergarten were in...

Executive functions (EFs)’ development is critically affected by childhood adversity exposure. Although recent studies underlined the deleterious effects of early life stresses on working memory (WM) and inhibitory control, they were scarcely investigated in war context especially in relation with learning abilities. In order to fill this gap, we d...

Math Anxiety (MA) is a specific feeling of tension generated by the manipulation of numerical stimuli in daily life and academic situations (Richardson & Suinn, 1972). This condition has significant repercussions on the individual’s life at personal, social, and economic level. Literature on the topic of MA alleviation, however, is still scarce. Th...

Literature that investigates the factors underlying arithmetic problem-solving achievement extensively evaluates the cognitive components, such as working memory (WM) and processing speed, at the basis of this acquisition. Recently, studies have shown that also the emotional factors, such as math anxiety (MA), could play a crucial role in the resol...

An increasing number of students show severe mathematical difficulties. Between 5% and 10% of children and adolescents experience a substantial learning deficit in at least one area of mathematics (Barbaresi, Katusic, Colligan, Weaver, & Jacobsen, 2005). The identification of these mathematical difficulties is fundamental if we consider the negativ...

Executive Functions (EFs) development is critically affected by stress and trauma, as well as the socio‐economic context in which children grow up (Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010). Research in this field is surprisingly lacking in relation to war contexts. This study represents a first attempt at addressing this topic by evaluating EFs...

The present study aims to investigate inhibition in individuals with Down Syndrome compared to typically developing children with different inhibitory tasks tapping response inhibition and interference suppression. Previous studies that aimed to investigate inhibition in individuals with Down Syndrome reported contradictory results that are difficu...

To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to test different theoretical models of working memory in childhood based on a computerized assessment. We tested this across several countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy, and UK. The present study addressed the wider macro-cultural context and how this impacts working memory. We used two ec...

Performing math tasks is a complex process that requires the recruitment of many cognitive and affective factors. Research on the interplay between cognitive and affective factors associated with math ability is surprisingly scarce in primary school children. In the present study, we examined the contribution of both general and math-specific anxie...

Studies focusing on a joint evaluation of both Working Memory (WM) and Math Ability (MA) in autism are far from abundant in literature, possibly due to inadequate methodological approaches and reported inconsistencies between results obtained in each separate field of research, resulting in contradictory conclusions. The specific aim of this case r...

Previous studies in both typically and atypically developing children have shown that approximate number system (ANS) abilities predict formal mathematical knowledge later on in life. The current study investigated whether playing specially designed training games that targets the ANS system using nonsymbolic stimuli only would improve preschool ch...

It has been hypothesized that ADHD is associated both with difficulties in mathematical problem solving and in updating information in working memory. However, the relationship between updating and performance on mathematical word problems has never been studied for children with ADHD. The present study examined these issues comparing the performan...

Many factors influence children's performance in mathematical achievement, including both domain-specific and domain-general factors. This study aimed to verify and compare the effects of two types of training on early numerical skills. One type of training focused on the enhancement of working memory, a domain-general precursor, while the other fo...

Both general and math-specific anxiety are related to proficiency in mathematics. However, it is not clear when math anxiety arises in young children, nor how it relates to early math performance. This study therefore investigated the early association between math anxiety and math performance in Grades 2 and 3, by accounting for general anxiety an...

Maths anxiety (MA) is a debilitating negative emotional reaction towards mathematics. However, MA research in primary and early secondary school is surprisingly sparse and inconsistent. Here we tested primary and secondary students' maths and reading performance and their maths and general anxiety (GA). We examined gender differences, developmental...

Mathematics anxiety (MA) has been defined as “a feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of math problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations.” Previous studies have suggested that a notable proportion of children in primary and secondary school suffer from MA, which is n...

An increasing number of studies have investigated the cognitive components that contribute to the development of mathematical skills. The Approximate Number System (ANS) is a non-verbal, primitive, noisy and imprecise cognitive system of magnitude representation for making quantitative judgments and decisions. It allows discrimination of large nume...

Working memory (WM) skills of individuals with Down’s syndrome (DS) tend to be very poor compared to typically developing children of similar mental age. In particular, research has found that in individuals with DS visuo-spatial WM is better preserved than verbal WM. This study investigated whether it is possible to train short-term memory (STM) a...

Background Math learning is a complex process that entails a wide range of cognitive abilities to be fulfilled. There is sufficient evidence that both general and specific cognitive skills assume a fundamental role, despite the absence of shared consensus about the relative extent of their involvement. Moreover, regarding general abilities, there i...

Many contributing factors, both domain specific and domain general, influence children's performance in school achievement. This research aims to verify the importance of kindergarten measures of cognitive abilities and numerical competence in the role of predicting mathematical school achievement at the end of first grade. A total of 70 children (...

The literature investigating visuospatial working memory (VSWM) clearly distinguishes between visual and spatial WM components. However, the association between VSWM and word problem-solving has been studied only recently. This study examines visual and spatial working memory performances in children, comparing those with arithmetic and problem-sol...

Several studies have shown the relationship between Working Memory (WM) and mathematics ability. However, only recently the role of anxiety in arithmetic has been investigated. In the present study two groups of children, with and without calculation disability, were examined. The two groups received automated working memory tests (visual and verba...

Emotional and cognitive factors were examined in 18 children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD), compared with 18 normally achieving children, matched for chronological age, school level, gender and verbal IQ. Working memory, short‐term memory, inhibitory processes, speed of processing and level of anxiety in mathematics were assessed in...

This study examines visual and spatial working memory skills in 35 third to fifth graders with both mathematics learning disabilities (MLD) and poor problem-solving skills and 35 of their peers with typical development (TD) on tasks involving both low and high attentional control. Results revealed that children with MLD, relative to TD children, fa...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the contribution of working memory and verbal ability (measured by vocabulary) to mathematical skills in children. A sample of 206 seven- and eight-year-olds was administered tests of these cognitive skills. A different pattern emerged that was dependent on both the memory task and the math skill. In...

Although various studies support the multicomponent nature of visuospatial working memory, to date there is no general consensus on the distinction of its components. A difference is usually proposed between visual and spatial components of working memory, but the individual roles of these components in mathematical learning disabilities remains un...

We report a two-year longitudinal study aimed at investigating the rate of access to numerical and non-numerical information in long-term memory and the functioning of automatic and effortful cognitive inhibition processes in children with arithmetical learning disabilities (ALDs). Twelve children with ALDs, of age 9.3 years, and twelve gender–age-...

A large body of literature has examined the relationship between working memory and arithmetic achievement, but results are still ambiguous. To examine this relationship, we compared the performance of third and fifth graders with arithmetic difficulties (AD) and controls of the same age, grade, and verbal intelligence on a battery of working memor...

The present longitudinal study was designed to investigate precursors of mathematics achievement in children. A total of 72 children were tested at both the beginning and end of first and second grades on measures of the following cognitive abilities: phonology, counting skills, short-term memory, working memory, and verbal and performance IQ. Path...

This research aims at identifying the precursors of mathematics learning at the beginning of primary school. There are few experimental studies on this topic and existing ones use between-subjects designs and correlation analysis. This paper analyses longitudinal data to investigate whether the relationship between basic abilities and mathematics l...

This study examines the updating ability of poor or good problem solvers. Seventy-eight fourth-graders, 43 good and 35 poor arithmetic word problem-solvers, performed the Updating Test used in Palladino et al. [Palladino, P., Cornoldi, C., De Beni, R., and Pazzaglia F. (2002). Working memory and updating processes in reading comprehension. Memory a...

This study investigated reasons why children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or arithmetic learning disorder (ALD) have difficulties in solving arithmetic word problems. In particular, the aim of this study was to verify whether these difficulties are due to a working memory deficit and defective inhibition of irrelevant inform...

The study investigates the relationship between memory updating and arithmetic word problem solving. Two groups of 35 fourth graders with high and low memory-updating abilities were selected from a sample of 89 children on the basis of an updating task used by Palladino et al. [Memory & Cognition 29 (2002) 344]. The two groups were required to solv...

The relationship among working memory, mathematic ability, and the cognitive impairment of children with difficulties in mathematics was examined. A group of children with difficulties in mathematics (MD) was compared with a group of children with a normal level of achievement matched for vocabulary, age, and gender (N = 49). The children were requ...

The relations between short-term memory, working memory, inhibitory control, and arithmetic word problem solution were studied in children who were poor in arithmetic problem solving (n = 23). The children were compared with a group of good problem solvers (n = 26), matched for vocabulary, age, and gender. The results corroborate the hypothesis of...

An important body of evidence has shown that reading comprehension ability is related to working memory and, in particular, to the success in Daneman and Carpenter's (1980) reading and listening span test. This research tested a similar hypothesis for arithmetic word problems, since, in order to maintain and process the information, they require wo...

In three experiments, we investigated the effects of different cue encoding modalities on young and older children's prospective memory. In Experiments 1 and 2, younger subjects showed the highest performance when the cue prompting the action was visually presented, whereas older children's performance benefited from enactment of the response. Howe...

Five experiments investigated the effects of cue familiarity, cue distinctiveness, and retention interval on prospective remembering. Results showed that (1) performance in a prospective memory task is facilitated when the cue is unfamiliar and/or distinctive; and (2) it is impaired by 3-minutes' delay between the instructions and the task (Experim...