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International Handbook of Mathematical Learning Difficulties pp 505–518Cite as

Cognitive and Motivational Underpinnings of Mathematical Learning Difficulties: A Discussion

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Abstract

Part III of this volume is about the cognitive and motivational underpinnings of mathematical learning difficulties. In this chapter, I present a brief summary of the nine chapters in this section, followed by a short discussion of two common and important themes that occur throughout the chapters. One of them involves the heterogeneity of the category we call mathematical learning difficulties, that is, the criteria by which children are assessed and diagnosed with this term (or with the term developmental dyscalulia), and the resultant difficulties that this heterogeneity produces. The second common theme involves the pervasive and important role of working memory and our need to understand its influence as well as our need to separate working memory difficulties from more central difficulties with number.

Keywords

  • Heterogeneity
  • Working memory
  • Genetics
  • fMRI
  • Numerical magnitude
  • ADHD
  • Spatial reasoning
  • Math language
  • Math anxiety

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Mark H. Ashcraft

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  1. Mark H. Ashcraft
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Correspondence to Mark H. Ashcraft .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    Annemarie Fritz

  2. Faculty of Education, Centre for Education Practice Research, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Annemarie Fritz

  3. Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Vitor Geraldi Haase

  4. Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Pekka Räsänen

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Ashcraft, M.H. (2019). Cognitive and Motivational Underpinnings of Mathematical Learning Difficulties: A Discussion. In: Fritz, A., Haase, V.G., Räsänen, P. (eds) International Handbook of Mathematical Learning Difficulties. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97148-3_30

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97148-3_30

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-97147-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-97148-3

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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