“Abacus skill has a positive effect on subsequent mathematics and reading grades…The results demonstrate that abacus skill is primarily a consequence of practice and that the eventual impact of abacus skill reaches into other domains.  The functional relationship between abacus training improved academic performance in reading and mathematics indicates that transfer has occurred.” - Consequences of Skill: The Case of Abacus Training in Taiwan, James W. Stigler, Laurence Chalip, Kevin F. Miller, American Journal of Education, Vol. 94 No. 4 8/16

 

It has been well documented that mathematical skills improved in Abacus learners when compared to Non-Abacus learners of the same age.  Use of Abacus requires co-ordination of sight, sound and finger movements which induces increase in the synaptic connections. The abacus learner tries to coordinate visual, auditory and sensory inputs, analyses the problems and solves them…Based on our results, we recommend abacus training for all children in a spaced manner not only to improve their mathematical skills but also to better themselves in other subjects. - Evaluation of Memory in Abacus Learners, Mythili Bhaskaran, Anu Sengottaiyan, Sangeetha Madhu, Vasanthi Ranganathan, Indian Journal of Physiological Pharmacology, 2006 50(3) 225-233, Stanley Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India

 

Abacus “enhances progress in various abilities like concentration, memorization, visualization, attention, information processing, speed reading and listening. - The Effect of Abacus Learning on Memory in School Children, Dissertation by Dr. Shanthala, Doctor of Medicine in Physiology, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, Bangalore

 

My research findings show that abacus study not only improves the ability to calculate both on the abacus and mentally, but also provides a beneficial ripple effect on other disciplines. - Lecture - The Ripple Effects and the Future of Prospects of Abacus Learning, Professor Shizuko Amaiwa, Shinshu University, College of Education

 

As special cognitive training, a transfer effect of abacus training has been found in the domains of other cognitive functions, such as general intelligence and memory. - Neural Plasticity following Abacus Training in Humans: A Review and Future Directions, Yongxin Li, Feiyan Chen, Wenhua Huang, Neuroplasticity, 2016 1213723, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

 

The right inferior frontal gyrus, which has been consistently associated with abacus training, is the main brain structure involved in response inhibition. given that the essen­tial purpose of the abacus is to increase calculating ability, children trained to use an abacus performed better in arith­metic tasks than did controls. Additionally, abacus-trained children committed fewer commission errors, suggesting that they exhibited better response inhibition. - Association between Abacus Training and Improvement in Response Inhibition, Kyoung-Sae Na, Soyoung Irene Lee, Jun-Ho Park, Han-Yong Jung, Jung-Hee Ryu, Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, 2015;13(2):163-167