Subitizing and Finger Gnosis Predict Calculation Fluency in Adults

Both subitizing, the ability to enumerate small sets without counting, and finger gnosis, the ability to mentally represent one’s fingers, have been found to predict calculation skill in children (Penner-Wilger et al., 2007, 2009). In the current paper, we examined whether these same relations hold for young adults. Consistent with the developmental data, both subitizing and finger gnosis were significantly related to university students’ (N = 51) calculation fluency, jointly accounting for 33% of variability in fluency. The findings demonstrate that early precursor skills to mathematics remain similarly related into adulthood.