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Math Among the Stars: an ERP Study of Narrative Framing Effects on Children's Arithmetic Processing

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Sarah Martinez¹ (), Vanessa Cerda¹; ¹Texas A&M International University

Evidence suggests that many school-aged children struggle to sustain attention once mathematics shifts from concrete, story-based contexts to abstract symbols. Narrative and fantasy contexts have been shown to improve motivation and time-on-task, but the neural effects during arithmetic processing remain unknown. This study will investigate whether embedding simple multiplication problems within a fantasy narrative increases children’s attention, engagement, and identity alignment compared to problems presented in a neutral context. Children aged 8–11 (3rd-5th grade) will verify simple multiplication problems (e.g., 2×4=8?) presented across two conditions: a fantasy-framed space mission and a neutral condition without narrative context, while event-related potentials (ERPs) are recorded. We will focus on ERP components indexing attention, including the P200 (early sensory–attentional processing) and the P300 (target detection during arithmetic verification). Simultaneous behavioral measures will be recorded, including accuracy, mean reaction time, and reaction time variability as markers of attentional stability. After each condition, children will complete a brief engagement questionnaire with an identity subscale assessing feelings of belonging and self-concept as learners. It is expected that fantasy contexts will elicit larger and/or faster P200 responses and larger P300 amplitudes, reflecting stronger attentional engagement. Behaviorally, we expect faster, more stable responses, higher accuracy, and greater self-reported engagement and identity alignment in the fantasy condition. These anticipated findings would provide early evidence that meaningful narrative contexts can modulate neural attention and identity-relevant motivation during arithmetic, bridging educational psychology and developmental cognitive neuroscience.

Topic Area: ATTENTION: Development & aging