You are kindly invited to the seminar entitled as ” Early Math Development: Contributions of Spatial Ability and Language” by the Department of Psychology.
Date: 2 December 2025, Tuesday
Place: A-130 FEASS Seminar Room
Time: 12:30
Title: Early Math Development: Contributions of Spatial Ability and Language
Abstract:
Mathematical competence is critical as it leads to a range of positive school and life outcomes such as entry into STEM fields, high socioeconomic levels, and even health and personal well-being. In particular, early mathematical abilities during the preschool are strong predictors for the variability observed in later mathematical skills. Hence, it is critical to understand factors contributing to the observed differences. Growing evidence highlights the role of spatial skills, i.e., children’s ability to reason about object locations, shapes, relations, and movements, in supporting early mathematical development. Additionally, early language skills have been shown to contribute to children’s mathematical abilities. In this talk, I will present my research examining how spatial skills and language collaboratively relate to early mathematical competence in preschoolers, using a range of methodological approaches. I will also discuss future research directions aimed at developing a more comprehensive understanding of the foundations of early mathematical learning.
Bio:
Eylül Turan is a second-year postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, working with Dr. Ariel Starr. She was awarded the FWO Graduate Research Fellowship and completed her PhD at KU Leuven under the supervision of Dr. Bert De Smedt. She holds a BA in Psychology from Koç University and an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Amsterdam. The primary aim of her research is to understand how spatial thinking contributes to mathematical development. She is particularly interested in the roles of spatial language and relational reasoning in this process. Additionally, she investigates how environmental factors, such as parent–child and teacher–child interactions, relate to these skills. To address these questions, she conducts studies with infants and children using behavioral and eye-tracking methods, and employs cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention designs to uncover underlying mechanisms.