How Do Components of Executive Function Relate to Taiwanese Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Skills?

Executive functions are crucially important for helping to explain children's mathematical performances. We investigated the relationships between components of executive functions and different aspects of mathematical ability in young school-aged Taiwanese children. In a cross-sectional design, a typically developing group of 122 sixth-grade students completed tests battery of working memory (WM), inhibition, and set-shifting tests, and a measure of achievement competence in mathematical concepts, computation, and applied problems. We found significant associations between general intellectual ability, working memory, inhibition, and set-shifting, and between these abilities and different mathematical skills. Verbal and spatial WM was positively correlated with different mathematical skills, and inhibition and set-shifting were positively correlated with mathematical performance to a lesser extent. We conducted partial correlation analyses to control for participants' age, socioeconomic status, and processing speed, and we then found that verbal and spatial WM was related to the math domains of concepts, computation, and applied problems. Meanwhile, inhibition was correlated with the domain of applied problems. Regression analyses revealed that varied domains of mathematical skills were best predicted by a general intelligence index (GAI) and verbal working memory (WM). Inhibition predicted better performance in applied problems. We discuss the limitations and implications of these findings, as they provide important information about the specific associations between aspects of executive function and components of mathematics performance in middle childhood.