Bert De Smedt
Biographic Data
| ID | 2748278 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bert De Smedt |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bert |
| FAMILY NAME | De Smedt |
| SIGNATURE | DE SMEDT B |
| AFFILIATIONS | KU Leuven |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3313-3278 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 26 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Effects of a mathematical language intervention on mathematical development in preschool dual language learners
Education as a natural experiment
sponsorship: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)|G.0707.20
Causal Effects of an Ecologically Valid Home Numeracy Intervention on Preschoolers' Numeracy Skills
The home numeracy environment is suggested to influence children's numerical development, but causal evidence for this assertion remains limited. Addressing this gap, we randomly assigned 117 predominantly White 4–5-year-olds (M = 4.68 years, SD = 0.2, 47% girls) attending preschool in Flanders (Belgium) to either an experimental (numeracy) or an active control (language) condition. The 6-week intervention (pretest-March 2023; posttest-May 2023) …
How are children’s strategy selection and execution related to their executive functions? A choice/no-choice study in multi-step arithmetic
Grade one single-digit addition strategies as predictors of grade four achievement in mathematics
Early detection of and relevant information on children’s mathematical difficulties is important to initiate targeted teaching and intervention. This study investigated the extent to which strategy use in single-digit addition provides additional predictive information about 61 grade one children’s (6-year-old) mathematical achievement 3 years later that is not available from a standardised mathematics achievement test. Four predictors available …
Cognitive characteristics of children with high mathematics achievement before they start formal schooling
This 5-year longitudinal study examined whether high mathematics achievers in primary school had cognitive advantages before entering formal education. High mathematics achievement was defined as performing above Pc 90 in Grades 1 and 3. The predominantly White sample (M age in preschool: 64 months) included 31 high achievers (12 girls) and 114 average achievers (63 girls). We measured children's early numerical abilities, complex mathematical ab…
Longitudinal pathways of numerical abilities in preschool
Children start preschool with large individual differences in their early numerical abilities. Little is known about the importance of heterogeneous patterns that exist within these individual differences. A person-centered analytic approach might be helpful to unravel these patterns and the cognitive and environmental factors that are associated with them. We applied a person-centered approach to a 5-year longitudinal study ( N = 410, 213 boys) …
Longitudinal associations between spontaneous number focusing tendencies, numerical abilities, and mathematics achievement in 4- to 7-year-olds
status: Published
The mathematical, motivational, and cognitive characteristics of high mathematics achievers in primary school
sponsorship: Merel Bakker is funded by the Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO) (1124219N). This study was also supported by Grant KU Leuven Project C16/16/001 Development and stimulation of core mathematical competencies. (Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO)|1124219N, Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO)|C16/16/001)
Too anxious to be confident? A panel longitudinal study into the interplay of mathematics anxiety and metacognitive monitoring in arithmetic achievement
Both mathematics anxiety and metacognitive monitoring have been identified as associated with or predictive of individual differences in arithmetic achievement in primary school children. Although there are various theoretical reasons for an association between mathematics anxiety and metacognitive monitoring, it is unclear at the empirical level how these variables are interrelated and whether their interrelation impacts their respective associa…
Associations Between Repeating Patterning, Growing Patterning, and Numerical Ability
The present study aimed to analyze the direction of the associations between repeating patterning, growing patterning, and numerical ability. Participants were 410 children who were annually assessed on their repeating patterning, growing patterning, and numerical ability, at ages 4, 5, and 6 years (i.e., spring 2017, 2018, and 2019). A cross-lagged panel model identified bidirectional associations between all three abilities from ages 4 to 5 yea…
Are preschoolers who spontaneously create patterns better in mathematics
BackgroundEarly patterning competence has recently been identified as an important precursor of mathematical development. Whereas the focus of this research has been on children's ability regarding repeating patterns, children might also differ in their spontaneous attention to patterns.AimsThe present study aimed to explore 4- to 5-year olds' Spontaneous Focusing On Patterns (SFOP) and its association with their patterning and mathematical abili…
Four-year olds’ understanding of repeating and growing patterns and its association with early numerical ability
Spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols and its association with early mathematical competencies
Cross-domain associations of key cognitive correlates of early reading and early arithmetic in 5-year-olds
Associations of Number Line Estimation With Mathematical Competence
The number line estimation task is widely used to investigate mathematical learning and development. The present meta-analysis statistically synthesized the extensive evidence on the correlation between number line estimation and broader mathematical competence. Averaged over 263 effect sizes with 10,576 participants with sample mean ages from 4 to 14 years, this correlation was r = .443. The correlation increased with age, mainly because it was …
Verbal and action-based measures of kindergartners' SFON and their associations with number-related utterances during picture book reading
BackgroundYoung children's spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) as measured by experimental tasks is related to their mathematics achievement. This association is hypothetically explained by children's self-initiated practice in number recognition during everyday activities. As such, experimentally measured SFON should be associated with SFON exhibited during everyday activities and play. However, prior studies investigating this assumed ass…
Associations of non‐symbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude processing with mathematical competence
Many studies have investigated the association between numerical magnitude processing skills, as assessed by the numerical magnitude comparison task, and broader mathematical competence, e.g. counting, arithmetic, or algebra. Most correlations were positive but varied considerably in their strengths. It remains unclear whether and to what extent the strength of these associations differs systematically between non‐symbolic and symbolic magnitude …
Numerical magnitude processing impairments in genetic syndromes
Cross-syndrome comparisons offer an important window onto understanding heterogeneity in mathematical learning disabilities or dyscalculia. The present study therefore investigated symbolic numerical magnitude processing in two genetic syndromes that are both characterized by mathematical learning disabilities: Turner syndrome and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). We further verified whether the phenotypic outcomes of these syndromes emerged f…
Children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle
BACKGROUND: In the last decades, children's understanding of mathematical principles has become an important research topic. Different from the commutativity and inversion principles, only few studies have focused on children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle (if a - b = c, then c + b = a), mainly relying on verbal techniques. AIM: This contribution aimed at deepening our understanding of children's knowledge of the…
How do symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills relate to individual differences in children's mathematical skills? A review of evidence from brain and behavior
Children's use of addition to solve two‐digit subtraction problems
Subtraction problems of the type M − S = ? can be solved with various mental calculation strategies. We investigated fourth‐ to sixth‐graders' use of the subtraction by addition strategy, first by fitting regression models to the reaction times of 32 two‐digit subtractions. These models represented three different strategy use patterns: the use of direct subtraction, subtraction by addition, and switching between the two strategies based on the m…
Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning
Use of indirect addition in adults’ mental subtraction in the number domain up to 1,000
This study examined adults' use of indirect addition and direct subtraction strategies on multi-digit subtractions in the number domain up to 1,000. Seventy students who differed in their level of arithmetic ability solved multi-digit subtractions in one choice and two no-choice conditions. Against the background of recent findings in elementary subtraction, we manipulated the size of the subtrahend compared to the difference and only selected it…
Connecting Education and Cognitive Neuroscience
In recent years there have been growing calls for forging greater connections between education and cognitive neuroscience. As a consequence great hopes for the application of empirical research on the human brain to educational problems have been raised. In this article we contend that the expectation that results from cognitive neuroscience research will have a direct and immediate impact on educational practice are shortsighted and unrealistic…
Connecting Education and Cognitive Neuroscience
In recent years there have been growing calls for forging greater connections between education and cognitive neuroscience. As a consequence great hopes for the application of empirical research on the human brain to educational problems have been raised. In this article we contend that the expectation that results from cognitive neuroscience research will have a direct and immediate impact on educational practice are shortsighted and unrealistic…
Longitudinal pathways of numerical abilities in preschool
Children start preschool with large individual differences in their early numerical abilities. Little is known about the importance of heterogeneous patterns that exist within these individual differences. A person-centered analytic approach might be helpful to unravel these patterns and the cognitive and environmental factors that are associated with them. We applied a person-centered approach to a 5-year longitudinal study ( N = 410, 213 boys) …
Four-year olds’ understanding of repeating and growing patterns and its association with early numerical ability
Are preschoolers who spontaneously create patterns better in mathematics
BackgroundEarly patterning competence has recently been identified as an important precursor of mathematical development. Whereas the focus of this research has been on children's ability regarding repeating patterns, children might also differ in their spontaneous attention to patterns.AimsThe present study aimed to explore 4- to 5-year olds' Spontaneous Focusing On Patterns (SFOP) and its association with their patterning and mathematical abili…
Cross-domain associations of key cognitive correlates of early reading and early arithmetic in 5-year-olds
Spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols and its association with early mathematical competencies
Working memory and individual differences in mathematics achievement
Use of indirect addition in adults’ mental subtraction in the number domain up to 1,000
This study examined adults' use of indirect addition and direct subtraction strategies on multi-digit subtractions in the number domain up to 1,000. Seventy students who differed in their level of arithmetic ability solved multi-digit subtractions in one choice and two no-choice conditions. Against the background of recent findings in elementary subtraction, we manipulated the size of the subtrahend compared to the difference and only selected it…
Connecting Education and Cognitive Neuroscience
In recent years there have been growing calls for forging greater connections between education and cognitive neuroscience. As a consequence great hopes for the application of empirical research on the human brain to educational problems have been raised. In this article we contend that the expectation that results from cognitive neuroscience research will have a direct and immediate impact on educational practice are shortsighted and unrealistic…
Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning
How do symbolic and non-symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills relate to individual differences in children's mathematical skills? A review of evidence from brain and behavior
Children's use of addition to solve two‐digit subtraction problems
Subtraction problems of the type M − S = ? can be solved with various mental calculation strategies. We investigated fourth‐ to sixth‐graders' use of the subtraction by addition strategy, first by fitting regression models to the reaction times of 32 two‐digit subtractions. These models represented three different strategy use patterns: the use of direct subtraction, subtraction by addition, and switching between the two strategies based on the m…
Numerical magnitude processing impairments in genetic syndromes
Cross-syndrome comparisons offer an important window onto understanding heterogeneity in mathematical learning disabilities or dyscalculia. The present study therefore investigated symbolic numerical magnitude processing in two genetic syndromes that are both characterized by mathematical learning disabilities: Turner syndrome and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). We further verified whether the phenotypic outcomes of these syndromes emerged f…
Children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle
BACKGROUND: In the last decades, children's understanding of mathematical principles has become an important research topic. Different from the commutativity and inversion principles, only few studies have focused on children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle (if a - b = c, then c + b = a), mainly relying on verbal techniques. AIM: This contribution aimed at deepening our understanding of children's knowledge of the…
Associations of non‐symbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude processing with mathematical competence
Many studies have investigated the association between numerical magnitude processing skills, as assessed by the numerical magnitude comparison task, and broader mathematical competence, e.g. counting, arithmetic, or algebra. Most correlations were positive but varied considerably in their strengths. It remains unclear whether and to what extent the strength of these associations differs systematically between non‐symbolic and symbolic magnitude …
Associations of Number Line Estimation With Mathematical Competence
The number line estimation task is widely used to investigate mathematical learning and development. The present meta-analysis statistically synthesized the extensive evidence on the correlation between number line estimation and broader mathematical competence. Averaged over 263 effect sizes with 10,576 participants with sample mean ages from 4 to 14 years, this correlation was r = .443. The correlation increased with age, mainly because it was …
Verbal and action-based measures of kindergartners' SFON and their associations with number-related utterances during picture book reading
BackgroundYoung children's spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON) as measured by experimental tasks is related to their mathematics achievement. This association is hypothetically explained by children's self-initiated practice in number recognition during everyday activities. As such, experimentally measured SFON should be associated with SFON exhibited during everyday activities and play. However, prior studies investigating this assumed ass…
Four-year olds’ understanding of repeating and growing patterns and its association with early numerical ability
Spontaneous focusing on Arabic number symbols and its association with early mathematical competencies
Cross-domain associations of key cognitive correlates of early reading and early arithmetic in 5-year-olds
Are preschoolers who spontaneously create patterns better in mathematics
BackgroundEarly patterning competence has recently been identified as an important precursor of mathematical development. Whereas the focus of this research has been on children's ability regarding repeating patterns, children might also differ in their spontaneous attention to patterns.AimsThe present study aimed to explore 4- to 5-year olds' Spontaneous Focusing On Patterns (SFOP) and its association with their patterning and mathematical abili…
Too anxious to be confident? A panel longitudinal study into the interplay of mathematics anxiety and metacognitive monitoring in arithmetic achievement
Both mathematics anxiety and metacognitive monitoring have been identified as associated with or predictive of individual differences in arithmetic achievement in primary school children. Although there are various theoretical reasons for an association between mathematics anxiety and metacognitive monitoring, it is unclear at the empirical level how these variables are interrelated and whether their interrelation impacts their respective associa…
Associations Between Repeating Patterning, Growing Patterning, and Numerical Ability
The present study aimed to analyze the direction of the associations between repeating patterning, growing patterning, and numerical ability. Participants were 410 children who were annually assessed on their repeating patterning, growing patterning, and numerical ability, at ages 4, 5, and 6 years (i.e., spring 2017, 2018, and 2019). A cross-lagged panel model identified bidirectional associations between all three abilities from ages 4 to 5 yea…
Longitudinal associations between spontaneous number focusing tendencies, numerical abilities, and mathematics achievement in 4- to 7-year-olds
status: Published
The mathematical, motivational, and cognitive characteristics of high mathematics achievers in primary school
sponsorship: Merel Bakker is funded by the Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO) (1124219N). This study was also supported by Grant KU Leuven Project C16/16/001 Development and stimulation of core mathematical competencies. (Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO)|1124219N, Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO)|C16/16/001)
Longitudinal pathways of numerical abilities in preschool
Children start preschool with large individual differences in their early numerical abilities. Little is known about the importance of heterogeneous patterns that exist within these individual differences. A person-centered analytic approach might be helpful to unravel these patterns and the cognitive and environmental factors that are associated with them. We applied a person-centered approach to a 5-year longitudinal study ( N = 410, 213 boys) …
How are children’s strategy selection and execution related to their executive functions? A choice/no-choice study in multi-step arithmetic
Grade one single-digit addition strategies as predictors of grade four achievement in mathematics
Early detection of and relevant information on children’s mathematical difficulties is important to initiate targeted teaching and intervention. This study investigated the extent to which strategy use in single-digit addition provides additional predictive information about 61 grade one children’s (6-year-old) mathematical achievement 3 years later that is not available from a standardised mathematics achievement test. Four predictors available …
Cognitive characteristics of children with high mathematics achievement before they start formal schooling
This 5-year longitudinal study examined whether high mathematics achievers in primary school had cognitive advantages before entering formal education. High mathematics achievement was defined as performing above Pc 90 in Grades 1 and 3. The predominantly White sample (M age in preschool: 64 months) included 31 high achievers (12 girls) and 114 average achievers (63 girls). We measured children's early numerical abilities, complex mathematical ab…
Education as a natural experiment
sponsorship: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)|G.0707.20
Causal Effects of an Ecologically Valid Home Numeracy Intervention on Preschoolers' Numeracy Skills
The home numeracy environment is suggested to influence children's numerical development, but causal evidence for this assertion remains limited. Addressing this gap, we randomly assigned 117 predominantly White 4–5-year-olds (M = 4.68 years, SD = 0.2, 47% girls) attending preschool in Flanders (Belgium) to either an experimental (numeracy) or an active control (language) condition. The 6-week intervention (pretest-March 2023; posttest-May 2023) …
Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills (23 works) · Psychology (23 works) · Developmental psychology (15 works) · Cognition (14 works) · Mathematics Education and Teaching Techniques (14 works) · Mathematics (13 works) · Cognitive psychology (12 works) · Reading and Literacy Development (12 works) · Arithmetic (11 works) · Mathematics education (9 works)