The development of number reading: Fifth-grade children show adult-like visual analysis of digit strings

The ability to read and write multi-digit numbers is increasingly recognized as a critical component of numerical and mathematical literacy. Previous studies have shown that this skill takes years to develop, with many children still struggling to read multi-digit numbers fluently by the third and even fourth grade. Here, we examined fifth-grade children as they read aloud briefly-presented digit strings. Their overall performance was at least as accurate as that of adults. Moreover, detailed analyses revealed that the children’s number reading patterns resembled those of adults, indicating adult-like functioning of the visual analyzer – the cognitive process that parses digit strings. Specifically, the children scanned digits from left to right, showed an advantage for outer digits over inner digits, and demonstrated a dissociation between digit identification and position encoding. These findings indicate that by the fifth grade, children not only exhibit task proficiency in number reading, but they also rely on cognitive processes that are already adult-like in key aspects.