Numerical cognition: loci of ability differences comparing children from China and the United States

A study to determine the reasons for the differences of Chinese and American schoolchildren in mathematics was constructed. The subjects of the study were 28 first-graders from Hangzou, China and 24 first-graders from Columbia, Missouri. The results indicated that the Chinese sample had more mature problem solving strategies comparable to fourth- or fifth-grade American schoolchildren, which denotes a greater understanding of the principle of numbers.