Arithmetical impairments related to domain-specific working memory updating

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Arithmetical impairments related to domain-specific working memory updating Teresa Iuculano1*, R. Moro1, 2 and B. Butterworth1 1 Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom 2 Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, United Kingdom The ability to perform simple arithmetic, such as single-digits additions, evolves with practice from algorithmic computation to direct retrieval from memory (Geary, 1994). Mathematical disabilities have often been associated with poor general working memory capacities (Geary, 1993; Koontz & Berch, 1996; McLean & Hitch, 1999). Moreover, there is also evidence of a specific working memory deficit in relation to processing numerical information in children with arithmetical disabilities (Siegel & Ryan, 1989). However, previous studies investigating working memory in relation to mathematical ability have not accounted for the possibility of other confounding numerical impairments. Using the Dyscalculia Screener standardized testing battery (Butterworth, 2003) we identified a group of children who presented a selective impairment in single-digit addition. This group with Poor Arithmetical ability (PA) scored in the lowest 7% of the population for children between the ages of eight and nine compared to Normal Achievement children (NA). The impairment in PA was specific to arithmetic: they displayed normal scores on symbolic and non-symbolic numerosity comparisons, on continuous magnitude comparisons, as well as on non-symbolic approximate arithmetic. This group also obtained IQ and reading scores within the normal range of the population for their age group. In a series of behavioural tests on ten PA and twenty-three NA children, we aimed to find if the selective impairment in arithmetic was due to a working memory impairment and, if so, whether it was generalized or domain-specific. No significant differences were found between PA and NA for digit span and word span tests. In order to assess their ability of working memory to continually update relevant information and to inhibit irrelevant information, a modified version of a working memory updating task was used (Palladino et al., 2001). In this test, participants were presented with a set of oral stimuli (word or number task) with increasing memory load and were required to retain the relevant stimuli based on a ongoing magnitude criteria (i.e. report smallest number or subset of numbers within a trial). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group by task interaction (p < 0.05), where PA displayed significantly decreased accuracy for number tasks, but increased accuracy for word tasks when compared to NA. This result suggests that the PA group might experience a specific working memory impairment related to numerosity. Furthermore, such impairment doesn’t seem to be due to a low working memory capacity for numbers, but instead may derive from the inability to continually update and modify numerical information. Conference: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Turkey, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Memory & Learning Citation: Iuculano T, Moro R and Butterworth B (2008). Arithmetical impairments related to domain-specific working memory updating. Conference Abstract: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.282 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 09 Dec 2008; Published Online: 09 Dec 2008. * Correspondence: Teresa Iuculano, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom, t.iuculano@ucl.ac.uk Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth Google Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth Google Scholar Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth PubMed Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.