This study investigated the extent to which working memory requirements for different arithmetic strategies changes with age between 9 years and young adulthood. The impact of verbal and visuospatial working memory on different arithmetic strategies was also compared. The task was administered to 138 participants between 9 and 25 years of age. Datasets from other, separate, studies associated with this grant are also available via ReShare (see Related Resources). A high proportion of children and adults struggle with learning and doing maths. To help them we need to have a clear understanding of the processes involved in mathematics. There are lots of different skills involved in successful maths performance including maths specific knowledge such as knowledge of facts, procedures, and concepts as well as other more general skills. These include holding and manipulating information in mind (working memory), flexible thinking (shifting), and focusing on relevant information and ignoring distractions (inhibition). These skills are often termed 'executive function' skills and are thought to be particularly important for learning maths. To date, this basic understanding of the importance of executive function skills has not been exploited in the classroom because our understanding is not detailed enough. This project will explore the relationship between maths and executive function skills in greater depth using a variety of different research methods. This research will reveal the ways in which executive function skills are involved in learning and doing maths and help us to understand why some children find maths easy, and other children struggle.These findings will be used to raise teachers’ awareness of the importance of considering executive functions skills when teaching maths.

This study used an empirical, experimental data collection method. The sample was recruited from schools and universities in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area. Data were originally collected from fifty-one 9-11-year-olds, forty-five 12-14-year-olds and forty-two 18-25-year-olds. The 9-11-year-olds attended one of three primary schools and the 12-14-year-olds one of four secondary schools in low to average socio-economic status neighbourhoods in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The young adults were students at the University of Nottingham. Participants were assessed individually at their school or university. Adults and 12-14-year-olds completed the experiment in a single session. The 9-11-year-olds completed the experiment across two sessions with a maximum of 3 days between sessions. The experimental task was programmed using E-Prime software and presented on a Samsung laptop computer. Further details about the tasks used and measures taken can be found in the task description and read me documents.