ManyNumbers 3: A Multi‐Lab Study of Demographic Correlates of Early Number Knowledge

Large scale studies have documented socioeconomic (SES) and racial/ethnic disparities in children's standardized math achievement at kindergarten entry. These early math skills predict future mathematics achievement and career success. However, limited research has been conducted using large sample sizes to understand how SES and race/ethnicity are related to children's numerical skills at even younger ages. The current study aims to investigate sociodemographic variability in three fundamental areas of early numeracy: nonverbal numerosity discrimination, rote counting, and cardinal number word knowledge. In addition, we will examine if the relations between numerical skills might be explained by their shared correlations to sociodemographic factors and if differences in numerical skills between sociodemographic groups can be explained by variability in working memory. Finally, we also investigate whether childcare attendance moderates early sociodemographic differences in numerical abilities. To achieve these goals, data from children aged 2; 6-6; 0 will be gathered from ∼ 45 US sites, drawn from a larger multi-lab international project (ManyNumbers project). The findings of this research will enhance our understanding of early emerging variability in numerical skills and provide insights into developing responsive and inclusive educational practices that support diverse learning needs in the early years. SUMMARY: Early mathematical skills are crucial for long-term academic and career achievement. SES and race/ethnicity-related disparities in math achievement emerge as early as preschool. Most studies use standardized math assessments that combine different numerical skills to assess achievement gaps, leaving uncertain which specific skills vary with demographic variables. We explore disparities in developmentally significant numerical skills and their relation to demographic variables. We also report relations between WM, childcare attendance and numerical skills. Data from approximately N = 1080 children aged 2;6-6;0 will be collected from ∼ 45 US labs, including demographic information and numeracy measures.

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Journal
Developmental Science
Published
2026-04-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.70184
Primary Topic
Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
Type
article
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article

ManyNumbers 3: A Multi‐Lab Study of Demographic Correlates of Early Number Knowledge

Keting Chen, Isabelle Boni, Shannon M. Pruden, Lindsey E. Richland et al.
Developmental Science
Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
article

ManyNumbers 3: A Multi‐Lab Study of Demographic Correlates of Early Number Knowledge

Keting Chen, Isabelle Boni, Shannon M. Pruden, Lindsey E. Richland, M. Friend, Nicole R. Scalise, David Barner, Krista Byers‐Heinlein, Dominic J. Gibson, Mary DePascale, Susan Wagner Cook, Kennedy Casey, Camille Msall, Aimee E. Stahl, Caitlin C. Brez, Megan Lorenz, Stephanie E. Miller, Sara Cordes, Eric D. Wilkey, Suji Jung, Anna Shusterman, Sangmi Park, Percival G. Matthews, Lisa Feigenson, Deborah Foucault, Nicole M. McNeil, Geetha Ramani, Joonkoo Park, Clarissa Thompson, Molly Flaherty, Elizabeth A. Gunderson, Tania Dhaliwal, Jinjing Wang, Yiqiao Wang, J W Weaver, Véronique Izard, Jennifer Asmuth, Ty W. Boyer, Daniel B. Berch, Kristy vanMarle, Fırat Soylu, Roman Feiman, Jamie Jirout, Lauren J. Myers, Susan C. Levine, Melissa Kibbe, Rahma Mbarki, Urvi Maheshwari, Yujia Zhang, Daniel C. Hyde, Michael C. Frank, Alycia M. Hund, Mikka Hoffman, Jesse Snedeker, Yanfei Yu, Zoey Fiber, Natalie Hutchins, Amy Miyahara, Ece Demir-Lira, Amanda Martino, Jessica Sullivan, David Braithwaite, Elizabeth Spelke, John Opfer, Jennifer Wagner, Emily Fyfe, Andy Ribner, Pamela E. Davis‐Kean, Casey Lew‐Williams, Michelle Luna, Abenaa Yamoah, Roberto A. Abreu‐Mendoza, Leslie Amarachi Duru, Grace Huang, Michelle A. Hurst, Anna Lu, Bethany Rittle‐Johnson, Yesenia Arevalo‐Jaimes, Katharine Tillman, Miguel Mejia, Alexa Mogan, Bhuvana Narasimhan, Morgan Harris, Elizabeth Brannon, Ella Rose, Nicholas Mattox, Steven Yu, Allison Eisenberg, Melissa Libertus, Chineme Jane Otuonye, Karina Kling, Josie Hartford
article en

Abstract

Large scale studies have documented socioeconomic (SES) and racial/ethnic disparities in children's standardized math achievement at kindergarten entry. These early math skills predict future mathematics achievement and career success. However, limited research has been conducted using large sample sizes to understand how SES and race/ethnicity are related to children's numerical skills at even younger ages. The current study aims to investigate sociodemographic variability in three fundamental areas of early numeracy: nonverbal numerosity discrimination, rote counting, and cardinal number word knowledge. In addition, we will examine if the relations between numerical skills might be explained by their shared correlations to sociodemographic factors and if differences in numerical skills between sociodemographic groups can be explained by variability in working memory. Finally, we also investigate whether childcare attendance moderates early sociodemographic differences in numerical abilities. To achieve these goals, data from children aged 2; 6-6; 0 will be gathered from ∼ 45 US sites, drawn from a larger multi-lab international project (ManyNumbers project). The findings of this research will enhance our understanding of early emerging variability in numerical skills and provide insights into developing responsive and inclusive educational practices that support diverse learning needs in the early years. SUMMARY: Early mathematical skills are crucial for long-term academic and career achievement. SES and race/ethnicity-related disparities in math achievement emerge as early as preschool. Most studies use standardized math assessments that combine different numerical skills to assess achievement gaps, leaving uncertain which specific skills vary with demographic variables. We explore disparities in developmentally significant numerical skills and their relation to demographic variables. We also report relations between WM, childcare attendance and numerical skills. Data from approximately N = 1080 children aged 2;6-6;0 will be collected from ∼ 45 US labs, including demographic information and numeracy measures.

Developmental ScienceVol. 29(3)
Wesleyan University (US), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US), Florida State University (US), Boston College (US), University of Notre Dame (US), Boston University (US), The Graduate Center, CUNY (US), University of Iowa (US), Northeastern University (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), University of Arizona (US), Davidson College (US), College of Staten Island (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), Kent State University (US), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), Susquehanna University (US), University of Pittsburgh (US), University of Alabama (US), Amherst College (US), Lafayette College (US), University of Colorado Boulder (US), Florida International University (US), Vanderbilt University (US), Princeton University (US), University of California, Irvine (US), Université Paris Cité (FR), Skidmore College (US), University of Massachusetts Amherst (US), San Diego State University (US), Brown University (US), University of Michigan (US), Harvard University Press (US), University of Colorado System (US), University of California San Diego (US), University of Mississippi (US), University at Albany, State University of New York (US), Georgia Southern University (US), University of Chicago (US), Madison Group (United States) (US), Sorbonne Paris Cité (FR), Indiana University Bloomington (US), Energy Concepts (United States) (US), California State University, San Bernardino (US), Illinois State University (US), University of Virginia (US), The Ohio State University (US), Chatham University (US), Concordia University (CA), The College of New Jersey (US), University of Maryland, College Park (US), Washington State University (US), Augustana College (US), University of Pennsylvania (US), The University of Texas at Austin (US), University of North Carolina at Asheville (US), Stanford University (US)
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Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
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