Sleep supports consolidation of newly learned mathematical concepts

Within mathematical cognition the development of conceptual knowledge is seen as critical to developing understanding. Sleep has been well established to play a role in the consolidation of newly learned information and schema-based information but has yet to be explored within mathematical cognition. Across three experiments participants (N = 152) were assigned to a sleep or wake condition and then viewed lectures on either p-values, t-test, or z-scores. The sleep condition watched the lecture at 9pm, completed an immediate recall task to explain the concept, then a second recall task 12h later at 9am. The wake conditions watched the lecture at 9am, completed an immediate recall task then a second recall task 12h later at 9pm. Written responses were then assessed using a comparative judgement task by subject experts. Across all three experiments, results showed that participants in the sleep condition retained their knowledge from the immediate recall to 12 hours later, while in the wake condition, participants’ knowledge declined significantly between sessions. These results suggest that sleep may be involved in an important process of maintenance of learned information of mathematical concepts.