TY - JOUR
T1 - Impaired acuity of the approximate number system underlies mathematical learning disability (dyscalculia)
AU - Mazzocco, Michèle M.M.
AU - Feigenson, Lisa
AU - Halberda, Justin
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - Many children have significant mathematical learning disabilities (MLD, or dyscalculia) despite adequate schooling. The current study hypothesizes that MLD partly results from a deficiency in the Approximate Number System (ANS) that supports nonverbal numerical representations across species and throughout development. In this study of 71 ninth graders, it is shown that students with MLD have significantly poorer ANS precision than students in all other mathematics achievement groups (low, typically, and high achieving), as measured by psychophysical assessments of ANS acuity (w) and of the mappings between ANS representations and number words (cv). This relation persists even when controlling for domain-general abilities. Furthermore, this ANS precision does not differentiate low-achieving from typically achieving students, suggesting an ANS deficit that is specific to MLD.
AB - Many children have significant mathematical learning disabilities (MLD, or dyscalculia) despite adequate schooling. The current study hypothesizes that MLD partly results from a deficiency in the Approximate Number System (ANS) that supports nonverbal numerical representations across species and throughout development. In this study of 71 ninth graders, it is shown that students with MLD have significantly poorer ANS precision than students in all other mathematics achievement groups (low, typically, and high achieving), as measured by psychophysical assessments of ANS acuity (w) and of the mappings between ANS representations and number words (cv). This relation persists even when controlling for domain-general abilities. Furthermore, this ANS precision does not differentiate low-achieving from typically achieving students, suggesting an ANS deficit that is specific to MLD.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960196091&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01608.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01608.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 21679173
AN - SCOPUS:79960196091
SN - 0009-3920
VL - 82
SP - 1224
EP - 1237
JO - Child development
JF - Child development
IS - 4
ER -