Recent Publications

Mathematical Skill & Interest Development

  1. Scalise, N. R., *Santiago, I., & Canning, E. (2025). When we were young: Memories of early mathematics experiences. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 11. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.14771
  2. Sarnecka, B. W., Negen, J., Scalise, N. R., Goldman, M. C., & Rouder, J. N. (2023). The real preschoolers of Orange County: Early number learning in a diverse group of children. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.6577
  3. Chan, J. Y. C. & Scalise, N. R. (2022). Relations between executive function, numeracy, and mathematics achievement in early childhood. Cognitive Development, 62. Link opens to a new window: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101154
  4. Scalise, N. R. & Purpura, D. J. (2022). Numerical development in preschool: Examining potential mediators of children’s approximate number system and mathematics achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(5), 1192–1204. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000698
  5. Scalise, N. R., Daubert, E. N., & Ramani, G. B. (2021). When one size does not fit all: A latent profile analysis of low-income preschoolers’ math skills. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105156
  6. Gordon, R., Scalise, N. R., & Ramani, G. B. (2021). Give yourself a hand: The role of gesture and working memory in preschoolers’ numerical knowledge. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105145
  7. Scalise, N. R. & Ramani, G. B. (2021). Symbolic magnitude understanding predicts preschoolers’ later addition skills. Journal of Cognition and Development, 22(2), 185-202. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2021.1888732

Playful Learning Interventions

  1. Scalise, N. R., DePascale, M., Tavassolie, N., McCown, C., & Ramani, G. B. (2022). Deal me in: Playing cards in the home to learn math. Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12030190
  2. Ramani, G. B., & Scalise, N. R. (2020). It’s more than just fun and games: Play-based mathematics activities for Head Start families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 50(3), 78-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.07.011
  3. Scalise, N. R., Daubert, E. N., & Ramani, G. B. (2019). Benefits of playing numerical card games on Head Start children’s mathematical skills. Journal of Experimental Education, 88(2), 200-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1581721
  4. Ramani, G. B., Daubert, E. N., & Scalise, N. R. (2019). Role of play and games in building children’s foundational numerical knowledge. In D. Berch, D. Geary, K. M. Koepke (Eds.), Mathematical Cognition and Learning Series. London: Elsevier/Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815952-1.00003-7
  5. Scalise, N. R., Daubert, E. N., & Ramani, G. B. (2018). Narrowing the early mathematics gap: A play-based intervention to promote low-income preschoolers’ number skills. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.v3i3.72

Social Influences on Achievement

  1. Chan, J. Y.-C., Scalise, N. R., Tsang, S. Y. M., & Cheng, H. H. L. (2026). Parents’ and teachers’ practices, beliefs, and communication of early mathematics learning. Journal of Numerical Cognition. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.16735
  2. Scalise, N. R., Gladstone, J. R., & Miller-Cotto, D. (2025). Maximizing math achievement: Strategies from the Science of Learning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2025.106281
  3. Barkin, R., Grose, G., Krishnasamy, N., Scalise, N. R., & Ramani, G. B. (2025). Helping hands: Encouraging parent-child gestures during informal mathematics activities changes behavior. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101827
  4. Scalise, N. R., *Pak, K., *Arrington, M., & Ramani, G. B. (2025). Early mathematics instruction and teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: A mixed-methods investigation. Early Childhood Educational Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01657-1
  5. Eason, S. H., Scalise, N. R., Berkowitz, T., Ramani, G. B., & Levine, S. C. (2022). Widening the lens of family math engagement: A systematic review and conceptual framework. Developmental Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2022.101046
  6. Wentzel, K., Jablansky, S., & Scalise, N. (2021). Peer social acceptance and academic achievement: A meta-analytic study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(1), 157-180. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000468
  7. Zippert, E. L., Daubert, E. N., Scalise, N. R., Noreen, G. D., & Ramani, G. B. (2019). “Tap space number three”: Promoting math talk during parent-child tablet play. Developmental Psychology, 55(8), 1605-1614. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000769
  8. Wentzel, K. R., Jablansky, S., & Scalise, N. R. (2018). Do friendships afford academic benefits? A meta-analytic study. Educational Psychology Review, 30(4), 1241-1267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-018-9447-5

*Indicates mentored student