The framework agreement between UIB and UCMAS Spain SL about scientific and technological collaboration was signed on 22th April 2013. EvoCog research group took on scientific and technical advice in the field of research and assessment of improvement in cognitive abilities as a result of specific training courses.
From that moment, EvoCog started to work on the review of scientific studies about the use of abacus as a tool to improve numerical abilities and other kind of cognitive abilities. A test battery was designed in order to perform a cognitive abilities screening. These cognitive abilities could be improving as a consequence of the abacus use. This way, the test battery consists of 6 specific tests, which are based on numerical/mathematical operations, executive functions as high cognitive abilities, and visual representation of numerical information.
The battery was applied to sixth-grade primary and first year secondary students from the Centro Inglés in Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz). The primary students had attended the elementary level of the UCMAS courses, while the secondary students hadn’t attended any similar courses. The results indicate that the use of mental abacus (UCMAS program) increases the developmental pace of specific cognitive dimensions, especially those related to mathematical reasoning and the part A in the Trail Making Test (psychomotricity and attention).