How many seconds was that? Teaching children about time does not refine their ability to track durations.

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  • Author(s): Hamamouche KA;Hamamouche KA; Cordes S; Cordes S
  • Source:
    Cognition [Cognition] 2023 Jun; Vol. 235, pp. 105410. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Feb 26.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0367541 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7838 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00100277 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cognition Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Amsterdam : Elsevier
      Original Publication: Hague, Mouton.
    • Subject Terms:
      Learning* ; Child Development*; Humans ; Child ; Mathematics ; Schools ; Concept Formation
    • Abstract:
      Over development, children acquire symbols to represent abstract concepts such as time and number. Despite the importance of quantity symbols, it is unknown how acquiring these symbols impacts one's ability to perceive quantities (i.e., nonsymbolic representations). While it has been proposed that learning symbols shapes nonsymbolic quantitative abilities (i.e., the refinement hypothesis), this hypothesis has been understudied, especially in the domain of time. Moreover, the majority of research in support of this hypothesis has been correlational in nature, and thus, experimental manipulations are critical for determining whether this relation is causal. In the present study, kindergarteners and first graders (N = 154) who have yet to learn about temporal symbols in school completed a temporal estimation task during which they were either (1) trained on temporal symbols and effective timing strategies ("2 s" and counting on the beat), (2) trained on temporal symbols only ("2 s"), or (3) participated in a control training. Children's nonsymbolic and symbolic timing abilities were assessed before and after training. Results revealed a correlation between children's nonsymbolic and symbolic timing abilities at pre-test (when controlling for age), indicating this relation exists prior to formal classroom instruction on temporal symbols. Notably, we found no support for the refinement hypothesis, as learning temporal symbols did not impact children's nonsymbolic timing abilities. Implications and future directions are discussed.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None.
      (Published by Elsevier B.V.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Nonsymbolic timing; Refinement hypothesis; Temporal units of measurement
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20230227 Date Completed: 20230411 Latest Revision: 20230511
    • Publication Date:
      20240628
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105410
    • Accession Number:
      36848703