UCMAS: A
cognition tool
cog·ni·tion
ˌkäɡˈniSH(ə)n/
Noun
the mental process of knowing,
including aspects such as awareness,
perception, reasoning, and judgment.
Cognitive skills enhanced by
UCMAS abacus training
Executive functions of brain
COGNITIVE ABILITIES ARE BRAINS FUNCTIONS
Executive Functions
Abilities that enable goal-oriented behavior,
such as the ability to plan, and execute a goal.
These include:
Flexibility: the capacity for quickly switching to
the appropriate mental mode.
Theory of mind: insight into other people’s
inner world, their plans, their likes and dislikes.
Anticipation: prediction based on pattern
recognition.
Problem solving: defining the problem in the
right way to then generate solutions and pick
the right one.
Decision-making: the ability to make
decisions based on problem solving, on
incomplete information and on emotions (ours
and others’).
Working Memory: the capacity to hold and
manipulate information “on-line” in real time.
Emotional self-regulation: the ability to
identify and manage one’s own emotions for
good performance.
Sequencing: the ability to break down
complex actions into manageable units and
prioritize them in the right order.
Inhibition: the ability to withstand distraction,
and internal urges.
Theories…
Raven's Progressive Matrices
This task is designed to measure the test-taker's reasoning ability, the
educative ("meaning-making") component of a person’s general intelligence.
Theories…
Shepard & Metzlar’s Mental Rotation
This task is designed to measure the test-taker's perception, spatial
processing and general intelligence.
Varied tasks given to UCMAS students (subjects)
Purpose: To test general mental ability, simple arithmetic skills, place value
concepts, etc.
Tasks…
Physical Abacus Assessment
Sums done with the help of
physical abacus to test whether
children have learned to use it.
Tasks…
Computer Games

Dot array (number) comparison – If the
number of dots displayed in consecutive
patterns have changed

Dot array estimation – Out of the two images
which image pattern has changed

Verbal memory

Spatial memory – Check to see if the
position of two subsequent dots within an
image has changed.
Observation
Expert users of mental abacus (MA) exhibit
astonishing calculation abilities, perhaps
because MA relies on a unique visuo-spatial
format of representation. It was found that
students doing MA training showed a
significant advantage across a range of
arithmetic tasks relative to controls, and that
MA training was associated with differential
gains in problem solving (reasoning ability),
mental rotation (perception), working memory,
and improvement in attention and focus.
Children’s spatial working memory and other
pre-existing skills mediated their ability to learn
MA and reap its benefits.
Conclusion
UCMAS mental abacus program helps enhance the
cognitive skills of a child. The degree of improvement
within a child depends upon his/ her pre-existing
abilities coupled with systemic approach towards the
program