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Is the ANS linked to mathematics performance?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2017

Matthew Inglis ,
Sophie Batchelor ,
Camilla Gilmore  and
Derrick G. Watson
Matthew Inglis
Affiliation:
Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom m.j.inglis@lboro.ac.uk s.m.batchelor@lboro.ac.uk c.gilmore@lboro.ac.uk http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/mji http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/sb http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/cg
Sophie Batchelor
Affiliation:
Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom m.j.inglis@lboro.ac.uk s.m.batchelor@lboro.ac.uk c.gilmore@lboro.ac.uk http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/mji http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/sb http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/cg
Camilla Gilmore
Affiliation:
Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom m.j.inglis@lboro.ac.uk s.m.batchelor@lboro.ac.uk c.gilmore@lboro.ac.uk http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/mji http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/sb http://mcg.lboro.ac.uk/cg
Derrick G. Watson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom d.g.watson@warwick.ac.uk https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/psych/people/dwatson/dwatson/
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Abstract

Leibovich et al. argue persuasively that researchers should not assume that approximate number system (ANS) tasks harness an innate sense of number. However, some studies have reported a causal link between ANS tasks and mathematics performance, implicating the ANS in the development of numerical skills. Here we report a p-curve analysis, which indicates that these experimental studies do not contain evidential value.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e174
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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