Dataset for: Children's statistical learning capacity and arithmetic principle use

Statistical learning—an unconscious cognitive process used to extract regularities—is well-established as a fundamental mechanism underlying learning. Yet, despite the prominence of patterns in the number system and operations, little is known about the relation between statistical learning and mathematics knowledge. This study examined the associations among statistical learning, executive control, and arithmetic knowledge among first graders (N = 54). Individual differences in visual statistical learning negatively predicted response time on addition problems and positively predicted accuracy on subtraction problems. These relations remained even after accounting for executive control. These findings provide an impetus for testing new models of mathematics learning that include statistical learning as a potentially important mechanism.