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Monk RL, Qureshi AW, Knibb G, McGale L, Nair L, Kelly J, Collins H, Heim D. In people who drink more, facets of theory of mind may be impaired by alcohol stimuli. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 245:109811. [PMID: 36871375 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Theory of mind (ToM) - the ability to understand others' beliefs, mental states, and knowledge - is an important part of successful social interaction. There is a growing (albeit mixed) evidence base suggesting that individuals with substance use disorder or who are intoxicated (relative to sober controls) perform worse on a number of ToM tasks. The aim of this study was to explore the hitherto little explored notion that ToM-related capabilities such as the ability to see the world from another person's perspective (termed Visual Perspective Taking; VPT), may be impacted by alcohol-related stimuli. METHOD In this pre-registered study, 108 participants (M age = 25.75, SD age = 5.67) completed a revised version of the director task where they followed the instructions of an avatar to move both alcohol beverages and soft drinks that were mutually visible (target objects) while avoiding those only visible to the participant (distractor items). RESULTS Contrary to predictions, accuracy was lower when the target drink was alcohol and the distractor was a soft drink, although higher AUDIT scores were associated with significantly lower accuracy when alcohol drinks were the distractor items. CONCLUSIONS There may be some contexts when being able to see alcohol beverages makes it harder to take another person's perspective. It also appears that poorer VPT and perhaps ToM capacity may be evident in individuals who consume more alcohol. Future research is warranted to examine how alcohol beverages, alcohol consumption behaviours, and intoxication interact to impact VPT capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Monk
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK.
| | - Adam W Qureshi
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK.
| | - Graeme Knibb
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK.
| | - Lauren McGale
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK.
| | - Leonie Nair
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK
| | - Jordan Kelly
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK
| | - Hope Collins
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK
| | - Derek Heim
- Edge Hill University, UK; Liverpool Centre for Alcohol Research, UK.
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2
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Malykh S, Tarasov S, Baeva I, Nikulchev E, Kolyasnikov P, Ilin D, Marnevskaia I, Malykh A, Ismatullina V, Kuzmina Y. Large-scale study of the precision of the approximate number system: Differences between formats, heterogeneity and congruency effects. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14912. [PMID: 37064479 PMCID: PMC10102223 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The study used a large sample of elementary schoolchildren in Russia (N = 3,448, 51.6% were girls, with a mean age of 8.70 years, ranging 6-11 years) to investigate the congruency, format and heterogeneity effects in a nonsymbolic comparison test and between-individual differences in these effects with generalized linear mixed effects models (GLMMs). The participants were asked to compare two arrays of figures of different colours in spatially separated or spatially intermixed formats. In addition, the figures could be similar or different for the two arrays. The results revealed that congruency (difference between congruent and incongruent items), format (difference between mixed and separated formats) and heterogeneity (difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions) interacted. The heterogeneity effect was higher in the separated format, while the format effect was higher for the homogeneous condition. The separated format produced a greater congruency effect than the mixed format. In addition, the congruency effect was lower in the heterogeneous condition than in the homogeneous condition. Analysis of between-individual differences revealed that there was significant between-individual variance in the format and congruency effects. Analysis of between-grade differences revealed that accuracy improved from grade 1 to grade 4 only for congruent trials in separated formats. Consequently, the congruency effect increased in separated/homogeneous and separated/heterogeneous conditions. In general, the study demonstrated that the test format and heterogeneity affected accuracy and that this effect varied for congruent and incongruent items.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Malykh
- Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
| | - S. Tarasov
- The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - I. Baeva
- The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - E. Nikulchev
- MIREA—Russian Technological University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - D. Ilin
- MIREA—Russian Technological University, Moscow, Russia
| | - I. Marnevskaia
- Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - A. Malykh
- Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - V. Ismatullina
- Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
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3
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Kuzmina Y, Malykh S. The effect of visual parameters on nonsymbolic numerosity estimation varies depending on the format of stimulus presentation. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 224:105514. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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4
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Wang P, Fang Y, Qi JY, Li HJ. FISHERMAN: A Serious Game for Executive Function Assessment of Older Adults. Assessment 2022:10731911221105648. [PMID: 35762827 DOI: 10.1177/10731911221105648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) are essential for daily living activities but decline with age. Convenient assessment and timely intervention have particular significance for older adults. However, the traditional laboratory tasks of EFs are typically monotonous and inconvenient. The current study aimed to develop an interesting and convenient supplementary tool to assess EFs for older adults. According to the theory of EFs, we developed a serious game, FISHERMAN, to assess EFs. The game includes three subgames, Cautious Fisherman, Agile Fisherman, and Wise Fisherman, targeting core components of inhibition, shifting, and working memory, respectively. The current study aims to verify the reliability and validity of the game. One hundred and eight healthy older adults participated in this study and were tested through the FISHERMAN game and a battery of cognitive tests. The results show that the FISHERMAN game has high internal consistency reliability and good construct validity as well as criterion-related validity, suggesting that the game design is valid and can be used in EFs assessment for older adults. Future studies are warranted to establish the norm of the FISHERMAN game in older adults and investigate whether the FISHERMAN game can be generalized to other populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Fang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing-Yi Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hui-Jie Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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5
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Kuzmina Y, Antipkina I. The Association between Approximate Number Sense (ANS) and Math Achievement Depends on the Format of the ANS Test. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2022.2063293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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6
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Coolen IEJI, Riggs KJ, Bugler M, Castronovo J. The approximate number system and mathematics achievement: it's complicated. A thorough investigation of different ANS measures and executive functions in mathematics achievement in children. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2022.2044338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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7
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Brauns K, Friedl-Werner A, Gunga HC, Stahn AC. Effects of two months of bed rest and antioxidant supplementation on attentional processing. Cortex 2021; 141:81-93. [PMID: 34044245 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Physical inactivity across the lifespan is a growing public health concern affecting the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and central nervous system. Data on the effects of dietary antioxidants as neuroprotective treatments when physical activity levels are impaired are lacking. In this randomized controlled study, twenty young healthy men underwent 60 days of bed rest. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 10) receiving a daily antioxidant supplement comprising polyphenols, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and selenium or a control group (n = 10). Event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral data from a three-stimulus oddball paradigm were collected eight days before bed rest, after 60 days of immobilization, and after eight days of recovery. After two months of bed rest, we found a significant decrease in task efficiency irrespective of the treatment that was corroborated by lower ERPs in fronto-central and parietal brain regions. Neither behavioral nor electrocortical data returned to baseline values after eight days of recovery. Our results provide support for the adverse and persistent neurobehavioral effects of prolonged bed rest, which could not be mitigated by antioxidant supplementation. These findings raise important implications for situations in which physical activity levels become severely restricted such as medical conditions or sedentary lifestyles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Brauns
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anika Friedl-Werner
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Berlin, Germany; Université de Normandie, INSERM U 1075 COMETE, Caen, France
| | - Hanns-Christian Gunga
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander C Stahn
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Physiology, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19004, USA.
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8
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Malykh S, Kuzmina Y, Tikhomirova T. Developmental Changes in ANS Precision Across Grades 1-9: Different Patterns of Accuracy and Reaction Time. Front Psychol 2021; 12:589305. [PMID: 33841232 PMCID: PMC8024480 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.589305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The main aim of this study was to analyze the patterns of changes in Approximate Number Sense (ANS) precision from grade 1 (mean age: 7.84 years) to grade 9 (mean age: 15.82 years) in a sample of Russian schoolchildren. To fulfill this aim, the data from a longitudinal study of two cohorts of children were used. The first cohort was assessed at grades 1-5 (elementary school education plus the first year of secondary education), and the second cohort was assessed at grades 5-9 (secondary school education). ANS precision was assessed by accuracy and reaction time (RT) in a non-symbolic comparison test ("blue-yellow dots" test). The patterns of change were estimated via mixed-effect growth models. The results revealed that in the first cohort, the average accuracy increased from grade 1 to grade 5 following a non-linear pattern and that the rate of growth slowed after grade 3 (7-9 years old). The non-linear pattern of changes in the second cohort indicated that accuracy started to increase from grade 7 to grade 9 (13-15 years old), while there were no changes from grade 5 to grade 7. However, the RT in the non-symbolic comparison test decreased evenly from grade 1 to grade 7 (7-13 years old), and the rate of processing non-symbolic information tended to stabilize from grade 7 to grade 9. Moreover, the changes in the rate of processing non-symbolic information were not explained by the changes in general processing speed. The results also demonstrated that accuracy and RT were positively correlated across all grades. These results indicate that accuracy and the rate of non-symbolic processing reflect two different processes, namely, the maturation and development of a non-symbolic representation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Malykh
- Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yulia Kuzmina
- Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tatiana Tikhomirova
- Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
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9
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Tikhomirova T, Kuzmina Y, Lysenkova I, Malykh S. The Relationship Between Non-symbolic and Symbolic Numerosity Representations in Elementary School: The Role of Intelligence. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2724. [PMID: 31866910 PMCID: PMC6906201 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate the extent to which the development of symbolic numerosity representations relies on pre-existing non-symbolic numerosity representations that refer to the Approximate Number System. To achieve this aim, we estimated the longitudinal relationships between accuracy in the Number Line (NL) test and “blue–yellow dots” test across elementary school children. Data from a four-wave longitudinal study involving schoolchildren in grades 1–4 in Russia and Kyrgyzstan (N = 490, mean age 7.65 years in grade 1) were analyzed. We applied structural equation modeling and tested several competing models. The results revealed that at the start of schooling, the accuracy in the NL test predicted subsequent accuracy in the “blue–yellow dots” test, whereas subsequently, non-symbolic representation in grades 2 and 3 predicted subsequent symbolic representation. These results indicate that the effect of non-symbolic representation on symbolic representation emerges after a child masters the basics of symbolic number knowledge, such as counting in the range of twenty and simple arithmetic. We also examined the extent to which the relationships between non-symbolic and symbolic representations might be explained by fluid intelligence, which was measured by Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices test. The results revealed that the effect of symbolic representation on non-symbolic representation was explained by fluid intelligence, whereas at the end of elementary school, non-symbolic representation predicted subsequent symbolic representation independently of fluid intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Tikhomirova
- Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yulia Kuzmina
- Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina Lysenkova
- Department of Psychology, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Sergey Malykh
- Department of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Psychological Institute of Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia
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10
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Lonnemann J, Li S, Zhao P, Linkersdörfer J, Lindberg S, Hasselhorn M, Yan S. Differences in Counting Skills Between Chinese and German Children Are Accompanied by Differences in Processing of Approximate Numerical Magnitude Information. Front Psychol 2019; 9:2656. [PMID: 30671001 PMCID: PMC6331648 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human beings are supposed to possess an approximate number system (ANS) dedicated to extracting and representing approximate numerical magnitude information as well as an object tracking system (OTS) for the rapid and accurate enumeration of small sets. It is assumed that the OTS and the ANS independently contribute to the acquisition of more elaborate numerical concepts. Chinese children have been shown to exhibit more elaborate numerical concepts than their non-Chinese peers, but it is still an open question whether similar cross-national differences exist with regard to the underlying systems, namely the ANS and the OTS. In the present study, we investigated this question by comparing Chinese and German preschool children with regard to their performance in a non-symbolic numerical magnitude comparison task (assessing the ANS) and in an enumeration task (assessing the OTS). In addition, we compared children’s counting skills. To ensure that possible between-group differences could not be explained by differences in more general performance factors, we also assessed children’s reasoning ability and processing speed. Chinese children showed a better counting performance and a more accurate performance in the non-symbolic numerical magnitude comparison task. These differences in performance could not be ascribed to differences in reasoning abilities and processing speed. In contrast, Chinese and German children did not differ significantly in the enumeration of small sets. The superior counting performance of Chinese children was thus found to be reflected in the ANS but not in the OTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Lonnemann
- Empirical Childhood Research, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Education and Human Development, Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education (DIPF), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Su Li
- Institute for Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China
| | - Pei Zhao
- Institute for Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, China.,Faculty of Education, Beijing City University, Beijing, China
| | - Janosch Linkersdörfer
- Department of Education and Human Development, Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education (DIPF), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sven Lindberg
- Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Marcus Hasselhorn
- Department of Education and Human Development, Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education (DIPF), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Center for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Educational Psychology, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Song Yan
- Department of Psychology and Methods, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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11
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The influence of visual-spatial skills on the association between processing of nonsymbolic numerical magnitude and number word sequence skills. J Exp Child Psychol 2018; 178:184-197. [PMID: 30388483 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing skills are assumed to be fundamental to mathematical learning. Recent findings suggest that visual-spatial skills account for associations between children's performance in visually presented nonsymbolic numerical magnitude comparison tasks and their performance in visually presented arithmetic tasks. The aim of the current study was to examine whether associations between children's performance in visually presented tasks assessing nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing skills and their performance in tasks assessing early mathematical skills, which do not involve visual stimulation, may also be mediated by visual-spatial skills. This line of reasoning is based on the assumption that children make use of mental visualization processes when working on tasks assessing early mathematical skills, such as knowledge of the sequence of number words, even when these tasks do not involve visual stimulation. We assessed 4- to 6-year-old children's performance in a nonsymbolic numerical magnitude comparison task, in tasks concerning knowledge of the sequence of number words, and in a developmental test to assess visual-spatial skills. Children's nonsymbolic numerical magnitude processing skills were found to be associated with their number word sequence skills. This association was fully mediated by interindividual differences in visual-spatial skills. The effect size of this mediation effect was small. We assume that the ability to construct mental visualizations constitutes the key factor underlying this mediation effect.
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12
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Guillaume M, Van Rinsveld A. Comparing Numerical Comparison Tasks: A Meta-Analysis of the Variability of the Weber Fraction Relative to the Generation Algorithm. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1694. [PMID: 30271363 PMCID: PMC6142874 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Since more than 15 years, researchers have been expressing their interest in evaluating the Approximate Number System (ANS) and its potential influence on cognitive skills involving number processing, such as arithmetic. Although many studies reported significant and predictive relations between ANS and arithmetic abilities, there has recently been an increasing amount of published data that failed to replicate such relationship. Inconsistencies lead many researchers to question the validity of the assessment of the ANS itself. In the current meta-analysis of over 68 experimental studies published between 2004 and 2017, we show that the mean value of the Weber fraction (w), the minimal amount of change in magnitude to detect a difference, is very heterogeneous across the literature. Within young adults, w might range from < 10 to more than 60, which is critical for its validity for research and diagnostic purposes. We illustrate here the concern that different methods controlling for non-numerical dimensions lead to substantially variable performance. Nevertheless, studies that referred to the exact same method (e.g., Panamath) showed high consistency among them, which is reassuring. We are thus encouraging researchers only to compare what is comparable and to avoid considering the Weber fraction as an abstract parameter independent from the context. Eventually, we observed that all reported correlation coefficients between the value of w and general accuracy were very high. Such result calls into question the relevance of computing and reporting at all the Weber fraction. We are thus in disfavor of the systematic use of the Weber fraction, to discourage any temptation to compare given data to some values of w reported from different tasks and generation algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Guillaume
- Cognitive Science and Assessment Institute (COSA), University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Amandine Van Rinsveld
- Centre for Research in Cognitive Neuroscience (CRCN), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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13
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Schlesinger JJ, Baum Miller SH, Nash K, Bruce M, Ashmead D, Shotwell MS, Edworthy JR, Wallace MT, Weinger MB. Acoustic features of auditory medical alarms-An experimental study of alarm volume. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 143:3688. [PMID: 29960450 PMCID: PMC6910025 DOI: 10.1121/1.5043396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Audible alarms are a ubiquitous feature of all high-paced, high-risk domains such as aviation and nuclear power where operators control complex systems. In such settings, a missed alarm can have disastrous consequences. It is conventional wisdom that for alarms to be heard, "louder is better," so that alarm levels in operational environments routinely exceed ambient noise levels. Through a robust experimental paradigm in an anechoic environment to study human response to audible alerting stimuli in a cognitively demanding setting, akin to high-tempo and high-risk domains, clinician participants responded to patient crises while concurrently completing an auditory speech intelligibility and visual vigilance distracting task as the level of alarms were varied as a signal-to-noise ratio above and below hospital background noise. There was little difference in performance on the primary task when the alarm sound was -11 dB below background noise as compared with +4 dB above background noise-a typical real-world situation. Concurrent presentation of the secondary auditory speech intelligibility task significantly degraded performance. Operator performance can be maintained with alarms that are softer than background noise. These findings have widespread implications for the design and implementation of alarms across all high-consequence settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph J Schlesinger
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1211 21st Avenue South, Medical Arts Building, Suite 422, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, USA
| | - Sarah H Baum Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Main Office Mailbox 357270, T-471 Health Sciences Center, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Katherine Nash
- Department of Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, USA
| | - Marissa Bruce
- Department of Molecular Cell and Biology, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, USA
| | - Daniel Ashmead
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 1211 21st Avenue South, Medical Center East, South Tower, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, USA
| | - Matthew S Shotwell
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, 2525 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, USA
| | - Judy R Edworthy
- Department of Psychology, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom
| | - Mark T Wallace
- Department of Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Matthew B Weinger
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University, 1211 21st Avenue South, Medical Arts Building, Suite 706, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, USA
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Dietrich JF, Nuerk HC, Klein E, Moeller K, Huber S. Set size influences the relationship between ANS acuity and math performance: a result of different strategies? PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 83:590-612. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-017-0907-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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15
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Libertus ME, Forsman L, Adén U, Hellgren K. Deficits in Approximate Number System Acuity and Mathematical Abilities in 6.5-Year-Old Children Born Extremely Preterm. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1175. [PMID: 28744252 PMCID: PMC5504250 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Preterm children are at increased risk for poor academic achievement, especially in math. In the present study, we examined whether preterm children differ from term-born children in their intuitive sense of number that relies on an unlearned, approximate number system (ANS) and whether there is a link between preterm children’s ANS acuity and their math abilities. To this end, 6.5-year-old extremely preterm (i.e., <27 weeks gestation, n = 82) and term-born children (n = 89) completed a non-symbolic number comparison (ANS acuity) task and a standardized math test. We found that extremely preterm children had significantly lower ANS acuity than term-born children and that these differences could not be fully explained by differences in verbal IQ, perceptual reasoning skills, working memory, or attention. Differences in ANS acuity persisted even when demands on visuo-spatial skills and attention were reduced in the ANS task. Finally, we found that ANS acuity and math ability are linked in extremely preterm children, similar to previous results from term-born children. These results suggest that deficits in the ANS may be at least partly responsible for the deficits in math abilities often observed in extremely preterm children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa E Libertus
- Department of Psychology, Learning Research and Development Center, University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Lea Forsman
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska InstitutetStockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulrika Adén
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska InstitutetStockholm, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Hellgren
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholm, Sweden
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Differences in arithmetic performance between Chinese and German adults are accompanied by differences in processing of non-symbolic numerical magnitude. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174991. [PMID: 28384191 PMCID: PMC5383159 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Human beings are assumed to possess an approximate number system (ANS) dedicated to extracting and representing approximate numerical magnitude information. The ANS is assumed to be fundamental to arithmetic learning and has been shown to be associated with arithmetic performance. It is, however, still a matter of debate whether better arithmetic skills are reflected in the ANS. To address this issue, Chinese and German adults were compared regarding their performance in simple arithmetic tasks and in a non-symbolic numerical magnitude comparison task. Chinese participants showed a better performance in solving simple arithmetic tasks and faster reaction times in the non-symbolic numerical magnitude comparison task without making more errors than their German peers. These differences in performance could not be ascribed to differences in general cognitive abilities. Better arithmetic skills were thus found to be accompanied by a higher speed of retrieving non-symbolic numerical magnitude knowledge but not by a higher precision of non-symbolic numerical magnitude representations. The group difference in the speed of retrieving non-symbolic numerical magnitude knowledge was fully mediated by the performance in arithmetic tasks, suggesting that arithmetic skills shape non-symbolic numerical magnitude processing skills.
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