The influence of Klauer's cognitive training on the mathematical thinking and learning of learning disabled children

In two training experiments, 90 slow learning students from upper grades were fostered with the program "Cognitive Training for Youths" ("Denktraining fur Jugendliche") (Klauer, 1993a). It was intended to test whether the training to reason inductively transfers to mathematical word problems and, if so, whether the training affects mathematical performance immediately or - as Klauer supposed - additionally mediated by the improvement of intelligence. Experiment 1 (N = 60) indicated that the effects cannot be explained by unspecific factors like emotional care. In experiment 2 (N = 30) the differences in favour of the trained group were still present half a year later. Moreover, it was shown by path analyses that - contrary to Klauer's prediction - the training did not foster mathematical reasoning mediated by fostering intelligence but that the effect of the training influenced mathematical reasoning immediately.