Executive function and Chinese preschoolers' early mathematical skills: The indirect role of patterning and spatial skills

Early mathematical skills are robust predictors of later academic achievement. However, few studies have examined the indirect roles of cognitive factors in the association between executive function (EF) and early mathematics. The present study investigated whether preschoolers' patterning and spatial skills play indirect roles in the association between EF and subsequent mathematical skills. A sample of 281 Chinese preschool children ( M age = 4.53 years, SD = 0.76; 48.8% boys) was assessed at two time points approximately seven months apart. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that EF, patterning, and spatial skills at Time 1 significantly predicted mathematical skills at Time 2 after controlling for age, gender, family socioeconomic status, and baseline mathematical skills. The structural equation model further showed that patterning and spatial skills played partial indirect roles in the association between EF and mathematical skills through both parallel and serial indirect effects. These findings extend prior research by simultaneously examining multiple indirect associations within a longitudinal framework and highlight the interrelated roles of EF, patterning, and spatial skills in early mathematical development. The results suggest that these cognitive skills may be important correlates of early mathematics learning.