We are pleased to invite you to the first Krakow Seminar on Mathematical Cognition of this academic year, this time hosting Alessandro Cuder from the University of Trieste.
Abstract:
Math attitudes are important predictors of math performance and of how individuals approach math-related activities in everyday life. Evidence has highlighted the central role of affective and motivational factors not only in predicting academic achievement, but also in shaping educational and occupational choices among college students and adults. Fewer studies are available on earlier developmental stages, and there is still limited evidence on how STEM-oriented educational choices can be effectively fostered through interventions. In this context, middle school represents a particularly sensitive period for the development of negative attitudes toward math and the formation of professional identity. In this seminar, Alessandro Cuder will present observational and intervention studies conducted in middle school, examining how math-related affective-motivational factors predict STEM-oriented educational choices and whether targeted interventions can foster these choices. Findings will be discussed in light of relevant theoretical frameworks, with a focus on their practical implications for promoting positive attitudes toward math and supporting STEM-oriented educational choices.
Alessandro Cuder holds a degree in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Neural and Cognitive Sciences. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Trieste (Italy), where he works under the supervision of Sandra Pellizzoni and Maria Chiara Passolunghi on a project investigating the role of affective-motivational factors in STEM choices. Between July and October 2026, Alessandro is visiting the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Lab, where he will collaborate with the lab on analysis of a nationwide assessment dataset from Chile covering mathematics performance and mathematics anxiety in school-aged students.
Alessandro's research interests focus on the affective-motivational factors involved in math learning and STEM choices, the interplay of cognitive factors in the development of early numeracy in preschool settings, and learning and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Abstract: The mental representation of numerical magnitude has often been described in spatial terms, for example by the metaphor of the mental number line. I will report recent findings that put this assumption to a test. By probing whether signatures of spatial representation can be found in temporal cognition or newly acquired conceptual knowledge, I explore whether we can generalise the principles that structure our thinking beyond the numerical domain.
Abstract: Mariagrazia Ranzini presented prior and current evidence suggesting that higher mathematical competence is associated with more independent numerical processing, characterized by reduced reliance on other cognitive functions such as spatial cognition or sensorimotor processes.
