Self-Referential Processing Can Modulate Visual Spatial Attention Deficits in Children With Dyslexia.

Aibao Zhou,Baojun Duan,Menglin Wen,Xiaofeng Ma,Mei Li,Wenyi Wu,Yanggang Tan

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02270

Abstract

Considerable research has shown that children with dyslexia have deficits in visual spatial attention orientation. Additionally, self-referential processing makes self-related information play a unique role in the individual visual spatial attention orientation. However, it is unclear whether such self-referential processing impacts the visual spatial attention orientation of children with dyslexia. Therefore, we manipulated the reference task systematically in the cue-target paradigm and investigated the modulation effect of self-referential processing on visual spatial attention of children with dyslexia. In the self-referential processing condition, we observed that children with dyslexia demonstrated stable cue effects in the visual spatial attention orientation tasks when the Stimulus Onset Asynchronies (SOAs) were set to 100 ms, while other-referential processing weakened the cue effects of the visual spatial attention orientation of children with dyslexia. With cue effect as the index, we also observed that the self-referential processing had a significant larger regulatory effect at the early stage of visual spatial attention orientation, as compared with other-referential processing. These differences have a high-ranked consistency between children with dyslexia and typically developing reader. The results suggested that self-referential processing can regulate the visual spatial attention deficits of children with dyslexia.

Highlights

Dyslexia is considered to be a special learning disorder that affects the normal reading and spelling ability (Lyon et al, 2003), as it is characterized by difficulties in word decoding and phonological processing abilities (Lyon, 1995)
Our main aim in this study was to explore the regulation of self-referential processing on visual spatial attention of children with dyslexia
Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that subjects demonstrated a stable cue effect at the early stage of visual spatial attention orientation by manipulating the reference mode variable

Summary

Introduction

Dyslexia is considered to be a special learning disorder that affects the normal reading and spelling ability (Lyon et al, 2003), as it is characterized by difficulties in word decoding and phonological processing abilities (Lyon, 1995). Several studies have indicated that visual spatial attention deficit may be a more basic cognitive factor leading to dyslexia (Brannan and Williams, 1987; Facoetti et al, 2000; Vidyasagar and Pammer, 2010; Zhou et al, 2014; Krause, 2015). Past studies indicated that self-related information can modulate individual visual spatial attention orientation (Sui et al, 2009a,b; Liu et al, 2016a,b). There have been no previous studies regarding whether or how self-related information impact the visual spatial attention of children with dyslexia. This study manipulated the reference task variable systematically, investigating the modulatory role of self-referential processing on visual spatial attention of children with dyslexia

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Conclusion