Submitted by Administrator on Wed, 03/07/2013 - 22:59
Cognitive and emotional background of mathematical development
Senior Lecturer, Dr Dénes Szücs, has been awarded the James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) Scholar Award.
The James S. McDonnell Foundation was established by the aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Douglas, James S. McDonnell (1899-1980). Through supporting research that helps to increase human knowledge, the Foundation achieves its main aim, which is to improve the quality of life. Grants are awarded through a peer-reviewed proposal process across three program areas; this year saw eight out of twenty proposals receiving awards. Dr Szücs' Award is in the program area, Understanding Human Cognition.
Awards in the Understanding Human Cognition program area support research that investigates how neural systems are connected to and support cognitive functions, and the relationship between cognitive systems and observable behaviour.
Dr Szücs' research proposal
Human mathematics is the fascinating product of thousands of years of cultural evolution and it is more important than ever in today's technologically advanced societies. Still, a considerable proportion of adults have very poor mathematical competence, whilst around 6% of children have mathematical learning disabilities including developmental dyscalculia, and others show high anxiety levels about situations involving mathematics. Dr Szücs’ research programme aims to understand both cognitive and emotional aspects of mathematical development in primary school where important building blocks of human specific mathematical knowledge are put in place.
Taking an Educational Neuroscience approach, Dr Szücs studies how the full range of educational achievements relate to cognitive and emotional factors in children with mathematical learning problems (including developmental dyscalculia), typically achieving children and gifted children. Improved knowledge will enable us to prevent and/or remediate cognitive and emotional mathematical learning problems. This will ultimately improve the level of mathematical competence in the whole of the population.