Socioeconomic Status and Mathematical Abilities: The Roles of Specific Executive Functioning Components

Children’s family socioeconomic status plays a critical role in the development of mathematical abilities in early elementary school. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigates the mediation effects of specific executive functioning components in this relationship. A total of 185 children (MageT1 = 7.78 years, 54.05% boys) participated in the study. We measured EF, family SES, and mathematical abilities at T1 and mathematical abilities at T2 (20 months later). Our analysis yielded two main findings: (a) family SES was positively associated with T1 mathematical abilities across all three domains, but was not significantly associated with T2 mathematical abilities after controlling for T1 mathematical abilities; (b) family SES was indirectly associated with T1 arithmetical ability and T2 logical reasoning ability via working memory. Our study provides a nuanced insight of the specific cognitive mechanisms underlying the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on the mathematical development of early elementary school children.