Mapping Mind-Brain Development: Towards a Comprehensive Theory

Metacognitive and Non-Metacognitive Processes in Arithmetic Performance: Can There Be More than One Meta-Level?

The nature of the development of arithmetic performance has long been intensively studied, and available scientific evidence can be evaluated and synthesized in light of Nelson and Narens’ model of metacognition. According to the Nelson–Narens model, human cognition can be split into two or more interrelated levels. Obviously, in the case of more than two levels, cognitive processes from at least one level can be described as both meta- and object-level processes. The question arises whether it is possible that the very same cognitive processes are both controlled and controlling. The feasibility of owning the same cognitive processes—which are considered the same from an external point of view of assessment—as both meta- and object-level processes within the same individual opens the possibility of investigating the transition from meta-level to object-level. Modeling cognitive development by means of a series of such transitions calls forth an understanding of possible developmental phases in a given domain of learning. The developmental phases of arithmetic performance are described as a series of transitions from arithmetical facts to strategies of arithmetic word problem solving. For school learning and instruction, the role of metacognitive scaffolding as a powerful educational approach is emphasized.

Reading to learn? The co-development of mathematics and reading during primary school

Understanding how early reading and mathematics co-develop is important from both theoretical and pedagogical standpoints. Previous research has provided mixed results. This paper investigates the development of reading and mathematics in a longitudinal sample of N = 355,883 students from the United Kingdom (2005-2019) aged 5 to 12 (49% girls). Results indicate a positive relation between the development of the two domains. In addition, a substantial statistically significant positive association between prior reading scores and subsequent changes in achievement in mathematics was found, whereas changes in reading were smaller for students with a higher prior performance in mathematics. The findings suggest that acquiring good reading skills is highly relevant for developing mathematics skills. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Clinical presentations of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents: comparison of neurocognitive performance

This study aimed to compare performance in working memory (WM), processing speed (PRS), and attention measures in children and adolescents with typical development (TD) and with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (inattentive [ADHD-I] or combined [ADHD-C]) presentations, and to determine the predictive ability of the measures mentioned to discriminate between ADHD presentations and TD. 260 children and adolescents, 138 with ADHD (70 ADHD-I and 68 ADHD-C) and 122 TD in two age cohorts (8-12 years; 13-16 years), were assessed with WM and PRS indexes of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) and the d2 attention test. Significant differences between ADHD and TD groups in the WISC-IV GAI scores were found in children but not in adolescents. Children and adolescents with both ADHD presentations performed poorly on the PRS index, while on the WM index only children exhibited difficulties. In the attention test, children with ADHD-C showed more impulsivity and more difficulties for processing speed, concentration and accuracy than ADHD-I and TD. In addition, both ADHD presentations had higher inattention scores than TD. ADHD adolescents performed worse than TD in processing speed, concentration and accuracy. ADHD groups showed more impulsivity and inattention than TD. Digit Span and Symbol Search (WISC-IV) and processing speed and accuracy (d2) successfully classified ADHD and TD in children, but in adolescents, only coding (WISC-IV) and accuracy (d2) successfully classified ADHD presentations and TD. The WISC-IV and d2 yield neuropsychological profiles which reflect age-related cognitive changes and may allow the adaptation of more tailored early interventions for ADHD.