| Mathematical ability refers to the ability to acquire,process and retain mathematical information(Karsenty,2014),including numerical ability,arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability(Campbell,2004;Gaber &schilim,2015;Lin Chongde,2011).Spatial ability refers to the ability to generate,retain,extract and transform visual images(Wai,lubinski,& Benbow,2009),including intrinsic-dynamic spatial ability,intrinsic-static spatial ability,extrinsic-dynamic spatial ability and exrinsic-static spatial ability(Newcombe &Shipley,2015).With the development of STEM education,more and more attention has been paid to the influence of spatial ability on STEM field,especially on mathematical ability.Generally speaking,individuals with strong spatial ability have better mathematical ability.However,the relationship between mathematical ability and spatial ability is still unclear.It is mainly shown in the following aspects: first,mathematical ability and spatial ability are multi structure comprehensive ability.Previous studies always selected one kind of mathematical ability or spatial ability for research,therefore,the relationship between each kind of spatial ability and mathematical ability could not be discussed in detail;second,previous studies alaways investigated the relationship between spatial ability and mathematical ability by using cross-sectional design,but rarely used the method combining cross-sectional and longitudinal design;third,although the role of mental number line and visuospatial working memory between spatial ability and mathematical ability has been explored,these studies ignore the specificity of different spatial abilities and different mathematical abilities,therefore,whether the mediating role of mental number line and visuospatial working memory is established between any kind ofspatial abilities and mathematical abilities,these questions is not clear;fourth,some studies pointed out that the correlation between spatial ability and mathematical ability may root in the common brain base,but few studies have used the resting state fMRI to explore what these common brain bases are.Based on the cognitive load theory and the spatial-mathematical correlation theory proposed by Mix et al.(2016),this paper comprehensively used meta-analysis technology,cross-sectional research and longitudinal research to explore the relationship between spatial ability and mathematical ability.On this basis,it further used intermediary model and resting state nuclear magnetic resonance technology to systematically and deeply explore the mechanism of spatial ability on mathematical ability.The current study consists of four parts: study 1,using meta-analysis technology,investigates whether the correlation between spatial ability and mathematical ability is reliable in behavior;study 2,by combining cross-sectional research and longitudinal research,explores whether spatial ability has an impact on mathematical ability,and how the impact changes with different tasks and different times;study 3,by establishing intermediary model,investigates whether mental number line and visuospatial working memory paly intermediary role between different spatial abilities and different mathematical abilities,so as to reveal how spatial abilities affect mathematical abilities;study 4,using functional magnetic resonance technology,reveals the brain structure and brain function basis of mental rotation affecting addition through VBM analysis and resting state function connection analysis.Study 1 explored whether spatial ability is related to mathematical ability.We selected 73 studies,with 14,805 participants and 263 effect sizes to explore the relationship between spatial and mathematical ability by using meta-analysis technology,and whether this relationship was moderated by types of mathematical ability,types of spatial ability,age and Development level.Results showed that the whole relationship between mathematical and spatial ability was positive(r = 0.27,95%CI [0.24,0.32]).What's more,this relationship was moderated by types of mathematical ability.Specifically,logical thinking had a stronger association with spatial ability than numerical or arithmetic ability with spatial ability.Intrinsic dynamic,intrinsic static,extrinsic dynamic,extrinsic static spatial ability,and visual-spatial memory showed comparable associations with mathematical ability.The association between spatial and mathematical ability showed no differencesbetween children,adolescents and adults,and no differences between typically developing individuals and individuals with developmental disabilities.Study 2 explored the influence of spatial ability on mathematical ability,which is divided into two experiments.Experiment 2(n = 185)investigated the effect of spatial ability on middle school students' mathematical ability by using cross-sectional research.Results showed that:(1)the spatial theoretical model of Newcombe and Shipley(2015)has not been verified in the current middle school students;(2)the mathematical theoretical model composed of numerical ability,arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability has been well verified in the middle school students;(3)the influence of different spatial abilities had different influence on mathematical ability.Specifically,T1 mental rotation can predict T1 numerical ability,T1 arithmetical ability,T1 geometric ability and T1 logical thinking ability;T1embedded figures test can predict T1 numerical ability,T1 geometric ability and T1 logical thinking ability;T1 motion maze and T1 localization ability can predict T1 geometric ability.Experiment 3(n = 165)investigated the effect of spatial ability subcomponents on mathematical ability subcomponents by using longitudinal research.Results showed that:(1)T1 mental rotation can still predict T2 numerical ability,T2 arithmetical ability and T2 logical thinking ability;(2)T1 embedded figures test and T1 motion maze could still significantly predict T2 logical thinking ability;(3)T2 embedded figures test could significantly predict T2 geometric ability;(4)T2 localization ability could predict T2 numerical ability and T2 geometric ability.To sum up,study 2 mainly showed that mental rotation had a stable effect on numerical ability,arithmetical ability and logical thinking ability,while other spatial abilities had effect on different mathematical abilities,however,the predictive effect will change with time.Study 3 explored the mediating role of mental number line and visuospatial working memory between spatial ability and mathematical ability.The results of mental number line showed that:(1)Firstly,mental number line plays a part of mediating role between mental rotation and numerical ability,arithmetical ability and geometric ability;(2)Secondly,mental number line plays a part of mediating role between embedded figure test and numerical ability,geometric ability respectively,while plays a complete mediating role between embedded figure test and arithmetical ability;(3)mental number line plays a complete mediating role between localization ability and arithmetical ability,geometric ability respectively;(4)finally,themediating role of mental number line is not established between motion maze and four kinds of mathematical abilities.The results of visuospatial working memory showed that:(1)visuospatial working memory plays a part of mediating role between mental rotation and numerical ability,arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability;(2)visual spatial working memory plays a part of mediating role between embedded figures test and numerical ability,arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability;(3)Then,the visuospatial working memory plays a complete mediating role between the motion maze and numerical ability,arithmetical ability,while it plays a part of mediating role between the motion maze and geometric ability,logical thinking ability;(4)finally,the visuospatial working memory plays a complete mediating role between the localization ability and arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability.To sum up,the mediating effect of mental number line is moderated by types of spatial ability and mathematical ability,while the mediating effect of visuospatial working memory is almost not affected by types of spatial ability and mathematical ability.Study 4 investigated the neural basis of spatial ability affecting mathematical ability through functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI),including two experiments.Experiment 5(n = 170)used voxel based morphometry(VBM)to explore the common brain structure between mental rotation(spatial ability subcomponent)and arithmetical ability(mathematical ability subcomponent).Results showed that:(1)mental rotation was positively correlated with addition and multiplication respectively;(2)mental rotation was positively correlated with the gray matter volume of right temporal lobe and negatively correlated with gray matter volue of right superior frontal;(3)addition was negatively correlated with gray matter volume of left angular gyrus,right parietal lobe and right anterior central gyrus.The other three arithmetical abilities did not find any gray matter areas in the brain that could through corrected.Experiment 6(n = 145)examined the basis of functional connection between mental rotation and arithmetical ability by using resting state functional connection analysis and intermediary analysis.Results showed that:(1)global correlation analysis showed that mental rotation was positively correlated with the ALFF signals of left inferior temporal lobe,addition was negatively correlated with the ALFF signals of superior frontal gyrus,multiplication was negatively correlated with the ALFF signals of the middle frontal gyrus,and the subtraction was negatively correlated with the ALFF signals of the occipital lobe;(2)the restingfunctional connection showed that the functional connection level of the left superior frontal gyrus and the right parietal lobe was significantly positively correlated with mental rotation;(3)The level of functional connection between the left superior frontal gyrus and the right parietal lobe can affect addition through mental rotation.These results show that the behavioral correlation between mental rotation and addition does not stem from the same brain structure basis,but from the same brain function basis,that is,the functional connection of frontoparietal network.To sum up,this study found that:(1)there is a positive correlation between the whole spatial ability and the whole mathematical ability.When the spatial ability and mathematical ability are divided into different types,this correlation is regulated by the type of mathematical ability,which shows that logical thinking had a stronger association with spatial ability than numerical or arithmetic ability with spatial ability.(2)There is no causal relationship between the whole spatial ability and the overall mathematical ability,but different spatial abilities have an impact on different mathematical abilities,especially mental rotation has significant predictive effect on the numerical ability,arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability,and the predictive effect was basically stable.Other spatial abilities only affect some type of mathematical abilities,and also change with time.(3)Mental rotation,embedded figures test and localization test can affect numerical ability,arithmetical ability and geometric ability through mental number line.Four kinds of spatial abilities can affect numerical ability,arithmetical ability,geometric ability and logical thinking ability through visuospatial working memory.It can be seen that the mediating effect of mental number line is regulated by types of spatial ability and mathematical ability,while the mediating effect of visuospatial working memory is almost not affected by types of spatial ability and mathematical ability.(4)Mental rotation is positively correlated with addition and multiplication.The results based on VBM show that the positive correlation between mental rotation and addition does not originate from the common brain structure basis,but the functional connection analysis of resting state shows that the functional connection of frontoparietal network may be the common brain functional basis of mental rotation and addition.In a word,this study explores the relationship between spatial ability and mathematical ability by integrating more comprehensive subcomponents of mathematical ability and spatial ability,using meta-analysis technology,cross-sectional research and longitudinal research,and on this basis,through theintermediary model analysis,tests how does the intermediary role of mental number line and visual spatial working memory change between different spatial and mathematical subcomponents Change.Finally,the resting state NMR analysis revealed that the neural basis for the effect of mental rotation on addition is located in the frontoparietal network.The current research results reveal the correlation,causality and cognitive neural basis of spatial ability to mathematical ability,and deepen the understanding of the relationship between spatial ability and mathematical ability,which has important theoretical value.In addition,the current results show that mental rotation has a general predictive effect on the current mathematical abilities,and visuospatial working memory plays a general intermediary role between spatial abilities and mathematical abilities,which enlightens that future study could improve mathematical ability through mental rotation training and visuospatial working memory training,which has certain practical value. |
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