Final Report Summary - LEARNING&ACHIEVEMENT (Cognitive and Biological Factors of Mathematical Learning and Achievement) Numerical competence has a profound influence on an individual’s educational success, employment opportunities, income, and even physical and mental health. Most importantly, however, one’s level of numeracy affects not only one’s wellbeing, but also society in general. For example, low numeracy has been suggested to reduce the growth rates of gross domestic product, and increase public spending. In this project, we examined specific developmental factors that determine numeracy achievement. We addressed this gap by examining the link between mathematical achievement (cognitive factors) and brain indices (biological factors) across the developmental trajectory (childhood through young adulthood) and for different numeracy levels. Using an innovative multimethod approach that integrates cognitive and developmental psychology together with neuromodulation, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry we identified critical (necessary and sufficient) cognitive and biological components, as well as the dynamic developmental sequence, necessary for the normal development of mathematical abilities. For example, using a longitudinal design we found biological predictors, such as the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate, for maths development. Such knowledge also allowed us to unravel the cognitive and biological factors that contribute to and/or restrict neuroplasticity in mathematical learning, by examining the neural changes that occurred in those who start primary school to those who are study at university, or the implications of ceasing studying mathematics during adolescence on brain and cognitive development. Finally, we developed and test neuromodulatory methods for improving mathematical learning and examined its effects at the cognitive and biological levels, and highlighted how the benefit from such methods depends on individual cognitive and biological factors. The foundational knowledge gained in this project improves our knowledge of mathematical learning and cognition with implications for the fields of psychology, education, and neuroscience. Moreover, this advancement in scientific understanding provide a strong motivation for further studies that will translate this basic knowledge for improving numeracy in typically and atypically developing children and adults and thus has strong potential for broader societal implications.
