Why do some children excel in math, while others struggle? It’s a question Dr. Stephanie Bugden has been trying to answer throughout her career. By using interactive games, and functional brain imaging methods, her and her research team from the University of Winnipeg Psychology Department are hoping to learn more about the cognitive and neural mechanisms that guide math learning to help improve math skills in children.

On this episode the research question is: “How do children learn math?”

Episode Credits

Written, Narrated and Produced by Kent Davies

UWRQ Logo by Kimberley Moore

Interviews

Dr. Stephanie Bugden, Interviewed by Kent Davies, September 1, 2023, in Winnipeg, MB. Digital Audio Recording. “Research Question Podcast,” Oral History Centre Archive, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB.

Alyssa Wright, Interviewed by Kent Davies, October 31, 2023, in Winnipeg, MB. Digital Audio Recording. “Research Question Podcast,” Oral History Centre Archive, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB.

Music

Lee Rosevere – Let’s start at the beginning, Puzzle pieces, Quizitive,

Blue Dot Sessions – Brer Rhetta, Convex Crea, Delmendra,

Nuisance – Allegory Instrumental

Xylo-Ziko – Nexus

Sounds

Field recordings by Alyssa Wright.

Abcopen – Childrens classroom

Selected Readings

Bugden, Stephanie, A. T. Park, A. P. Mackey, and E. M. Brannon. “The neural basis of number word processing in children and adults.” Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 51 (2021): 101011.

Gattas, Sylvia U., Stephanie Bugden, and Ian M. Lyons. “Rules of order: Evidence for a novel influence on ordinal processing of numbers.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 150, no. 10 (2021): 2100.