How modality specific is arithmetic processing? Insights from cognitive styles and solution strategies

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event How modality specific is arithmetic processing? Insights from cognitive styles and solution strategies Anja Ischebeck1*, Sabrina Koch1, Roland Grabner2, Gernot Reishofer3, Karl Koschutnig3, Brian Butterworth4, Franz Ebner3 and Christa Neuper1 1 University of Graz, Institute of Psychology, Austria 2 ETH Zurich, Institute for Behavioral Sciences, Switzerland 3 Medical University of Graz, Department of Radiology, Austria 4 University College London, Institute of Psychology, United Kingdom During the last decade, researchers were able to clarify different aspects of the human 'number sense' with behavioral as well as with neuroimaging methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. Especially the intraparietal sulci, bilaterally, and the left angular gyrus, have been identified as playing an important and highly specific role in arithmetic processing. Both brain regions have also been assumed to show an affinity to a specific processing modality. The left angular gyrus, associated with the retrieval of arithmetic fact knowledge from verbal long term memory, is assumed to closely interact with the left-lateralized language processing areas. The intraparietal sulci, associated with quantity representation, estimation and calculation, are assumed to interact with visuo-spatial processing. In the present experiment, we investigated whether these areas show a modality specificity, by investigating individual processing differences, such as cognitive styles. In arithmetic, individuals often report different degrees of visualization or verbalization in multi-step calculations. We therefore hypothesized that the left angular gyrus, if modality-specific for language, should show more activation in verbalizers than in visualizers, whereas the intraparietal sulci should be more activated in visualizers. We conducted an fMRI study with healthy young adults solving complex multiplication problems. Cognitive style and preferred solution strategy were assessed using questionnaires before entering the scanner. Visualizers showed a greater activation of occipito-parietal areas when compared to verbalizers, but no modulation of activation was observed in the left angular gyrus or the intraparietal sulci, bilaterally. These results suggest, that the brain areas involved in arithmetic processing might be less modality specific than presently assumed. Conference: EARLI SIG22 - Neuroscience and Education, Zurich, Switzerland, 3 Jun - 5 Jun, 2010. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Arithmetic and higher-order mathematics Citation: Ischebeck A, Koch S, Grabner R, Reishofer G, Koschutnig K, Butterworth B, Ebner F and Neuper C (2010). How modality specific is arithmetic processing? Insights from cognitive styles and solution strategies. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: EARLI SIG22 - Neuroscience and Education. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.11.00050 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: 31 May 2010; Published Online: 31 May 2010. * Correspondence: Anja Ischebeck, University of Graz, Institute of Psychology, Graz, Austria, anja.ischebeck@uni-graz.at 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 Anja Ischebeck Sabrina Koch Roland Grabner Gernot Reishofer Karl Koschutnig Brian Butterworth Franz Ebner Christa Neuper Google Anja Ischebeck Sabrina Koch Roland Grabner Gernot Reishofer Karl Koschutnig Brian Butterworth Franz Ebner Christa Neuper Google Scholar Anja Ischebeck Sabrina Koch Roland Grabner Gernot Reishofer Karl Koschutnig Brian Butterworth Franz Ebner Christa Neuper PubMed Anja Ischebeck Sabrina Koch Roland Grabner Gernot Reishofer Karl Koschutnig Brian Butterworth Franz Ebner Christa Neuper 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.