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Kwok FY, Wilkey ED, Peters L, Khiu E, Bull R, Lee K, Ansari D. Developmental dyscalculia is not associated with atypical brain activation: A univariate fMRI study of arithmetic, magnitude processing, and visuospatial working memory. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6308-6325. [PMID: 37909347 PMCID: PMC10681641 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging serves as a tool to better understand the cerebral correlates of atypical behaviors, such as learning difficulties. While significant advances have been made in characterizing the neural correlates of reading difficulties (developmental dyslexia), comparatively little is known about the neurobiological correlates of mathematical learning difficulties, such as developmental dyscalculia (DD). Furthermore, the available neuroimaging studies of DD are characterized by small sample sizes and variable inclusion criteria, which make it problematic to compare across studies. In addition, studies to date have focused on identifying single deficits in neuronal processing among children with DD (e.g., mental arithmetic), rather than probing differences in brain function across different processing domains that are known to be affected in children with DD. Here, we seek to address the limitations of prior investigations. Specifically, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to probe brain differences between children with and without persistent DD; 68 children (8-10 years old, 30 with DD) participated in an fMRI study designed to investigate group differences in the functional neuroanatomy associated with commonly reported behavioral deficits in children with DD: basic number processing, mental arithmetic and visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM). Behavioral data revealed that children with DD were less accurate than their typically achieving (TA) peers for the basic number processing and arithmetic tasks. No behavioral differences were found for the tasks measuring VSWM. A pre-registered, whole-brain, voxelwise univariate analysis of the fMRI data from the entire sample of children (DD and TA) revealed areas commonly associated with the three tasks (basic number processing, mental arithmetic, and VSWM). However, the examination of differences in brain activation between children with and without DD revealed no consistent group differences in brain activation. In view of these null results, we ran exploratory, Bayesian analyses on the data to quantify the amount of evidence for no group differences. This analysis provides supporting evidence for no group differences across all three tasks. We present the largest fMRI study comparing children with and without persistent DD to date. We found no group differences in brain activation using univariate, frequentist analyses. Moreover, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence for the null hypothesis of no group differences. These findings contradict previous literature and reveal the need to investigate the neural basis of DD using multivariate and network-based approaches to brain imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu Yu Kwok
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore
- Macquarie School of EducationMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Eric D. Wilkey
- Brain and Mind InstituteWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Vanderbilt Brain InstituteVanderbilt UniversityNashvilleTennesseeUSA
- Department of Psychology & Human DevelopmentPeabody College, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Lien Peters
- Brain and Mind InstituteWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology Research in Developmental Disorders LabGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
| | - Ellyn Khiu
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore
| | - Rebecca Bull
- Macquarie School of EducationMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Kerry Lee
- Department of Early Childhood EducationThe Education University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of EducationNanyang Technological UniversitySingapore
- Brain and Mind InstituteWestern UniversityLondonOntarioCanada
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Mielicki MK, Wilkey ED, Scheibe DA, Fitzsimmons CJ, Sidney PG, Bellon E, Ribner AD, Soltanlou M, Starling-Alves I, Coolen I, Ansari D, Thompson CA. Task features change the relation between math anxiety and number line estimation performance with rational numbers: Two large-scale online studies. J Exp Psychol Gen 2023:2023-65175-001. [PMID: 37079830 DOI: 10.1037/xge0001382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Math performance is negatively related to math anxiety (MA), though MA may impact certain math skills more than others. We investigated whether the relation between MA and math performance is affected by task features, such as number type (e.g., fractions, whole numbers, percentages), number format (symbolic vs. nonsymbolic), and ratio component size (small vs. large). Across two large-scale studies (combined n = 3,822), the MA-performance relation was strongest for large whole numbers and fractions, and stronger for symbolic than nonsymbolic fractions. The MA-performance relation was also stronger for smaller relative to larger components, and MA relating to specific number types may be a better predictor of performance than general MA for certain tasks. The relation between MA and estimation performance changes depending on task features, which suggests that MA may relate to certain math skills more than others, which may have implications for how people reason with numerical information and may inform future interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Wilkey ED, Gupta I, Peiris A, Ansari D. The mathematical brain at rest. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Lynn A, Wilkey ED, Price GR. Predicting children's math skills from task-based and resting-state functional brain connectivity. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4204-4214. [PMID: 34974615 PMCID: PMC9764435 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A critical goal of cognitive neuroscience is to predict behavior from neural structure and function, thereby providing crucial insights into who might benefit from clinical and/or educational interventions. Across development, the strength of functional connectivity among a distributed set of brain regions is associated with children's math skills. Therefore, in the present study we use connectome-based predictive modeling to investigate whether functional connectivity during numerical processing and at rest "predicts" children's math skills (N = 31, Mage = 9.21 years, 14 Female). Overall, we found that functional connectivity during symbolic number comparison and rest, but not during nonsymbolic number comparison, predicts children's math skills. Each task revealed a largely distinct set of predictive connections distributed across canonical brain networks and major brain lobes. Most of these predictive connections were negatively correlated with children's math skills so that weaker connectivity predicted better math skills. Notably, these predictive connections were largely nonoverlapping across task states, suggesting children's math abilities may depend on state-dependent patterns of network segregation and/or regional specialization. Furthermore, the current predictive modeling approach moves beyond brain-behavior correlations and toward building models of brain connectivity that may eventually aid in predicting future math skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Lynn
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Eric D Wilkey
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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Lau NTT, Wilkey ED, Soltanlou M, Lagacé Cusiac R, Peters L, Tremblay P, Goffin C, Alves IS, Ribner AD, Thompson C, Van Hoof J, Bahnmueller J, Alvarez A, Bellon E, Coolen I, Ollivier F, Ansari D. Numeracy and COVID-19: examining interrelationships between numeracy, health numeracy and behaviour. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:201303. [PMID: 35308625 PMCID: PMC8924770 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the globe have been exposed to large amounts of statistical data. Previous studies have shown that individuals' mathematical understanding of health-related information affects their attitudes and behaviours. Here, we investigate the relation between (i) basic numeracy, (ii) COVID-19 health numeracy, and (iii) COVID-19 health-related attitudes and behaviours. An online survey measuring these three variables was distributed in Canada, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) (n = 2032). In line with predictions, basic numeracy was positively related to COVID-19 health numeracy. However, predictions, neither basic numeracy nor COVID-19 health numeracy was related to COVID-19 health-related attitudes and behaviours (e.g. follow experts' recommendations on social distancing, wearing masks etc.). Multi-group analysis was used to investigate mean differences and differences in the strength of the correlation across countries. Results indicate there were no between-country differences in the correlations between the main constructs but there were between-country differences in latent means. Overall, results suggest that while basic numeracy is related to one's understanding of data about COVID-19, better numeracy alone is not enough to influence a population's health-related attitudes about disease severity and to increase the likelihood of following public health advice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Lien Peters
- Department of Psychology, Western University, Canada
| | - Paul Tremblay
- Department of Psychology, Western University, Canada
| | - Celia Goffin
- Department of Psychology, Western University, Canada
| | | | - Andrew David Ribner
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Clarissa Thompson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Jo Van Hoof
- Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Aymee Alvarez
- Department of Psychology, Western University, Canada
| | - Elien Bellon
- Parenting and Special Education, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ilse Coolen
- Université de Paris, LaPsyDÉ, CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Fanny Ollivier
- Laboratoire de Psychologie, Cognition, Comportement et Communication, Université Rennes 2, France
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Department of Psychology, Western University, Canada
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Wilkey ED, Shanley L, Sabb F, Ansari D, Cohen JC, Men V, Heller NA, Clarke B. Sharpening, focusing, and developing: A study of change in nonsymbolic number comparison skills and math achievement in 1st grade. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13194. [PMID: 34800342 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Children's ability to discriminate nonsymbolic number (e.g., the number of items in a set) is a commonly studied predictor of later math skills. Number discrimination improves throughout development, but what drives this improvement is unclear. Competing theories suggest that it may be due to a sharpening numerical representation or an improved ability to pay attention to number and filter out non-numerical information. We investigate this issue by studying change in children's performance (N = 65) on a nonsymbolic number comparison task, where children decide which of two dot arrays has more dots, from the middle to the end of 1st grade (mean age at time 1 = 6.85 years old). In this task, visual properties of the dot arrays such as surface area are either congruent (the more numerous array has more surface area) or incongruent. Children rely more on executive functions during incongruent trials, so improvements in each congruency condition provide information about the underlying cognitive mechanisms. We found that accuracy rates increased similarly for both conditions, indicating a sharpening sense of numerical magnitude, not simply improved attention to the numerical task dimension. Symbolic number skills predicted change in congruent trials, but executive function did not predict change in either condition. No factor predicted change in math achievement. Together, these findings suggest that nonsymbolic number processing undergoes development related to existing symbolic number skills, development that appears not to be driving math gains during this period. Children's ability to discriminate nonsymbolic number improves throughout development. Competing theories suggest improvement due to sharpening magnitude representations or changes in attention and inhibition. The current study investigates change in nonsymbolic number comparison performance during first grade and whether symbolic number skills, math skills, or executive function predict change. Children's performance increased across visual control conditions (i.e., congruent or incongruent with number) suggesting an overall sharpening of number processing. Symbolic number skills predicted change in nonsymbolic number comparison performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Wilkey
- Brain & Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lina Shanley
- Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Fred Sabb
- Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Brain & Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason C Cohen
- Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Virany Men
- Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Nicole A Heller
- Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Ben Clarke
- Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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7
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Abstract
Studies of brain activity during number processing suggest symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical stimuli (e.g., Arabic digits and dot arrays) engage both shared and distinct neural mechanisms. However, the extent to which number format influences large-scale functional network organization is unknown. In this study, using 7 Tesla MRI, we adopted a network neuroscience approach to characterize the whole-brain functional architecture supporting symbolic and nonsymbolic number comparison in 33 adults. Results showed the degree of global modularity was similar for both formats. The symbolic format, however, elicited stronger community membership among auditory regions, whereas for nonsymbolic, stronger membership was observed within and between cingulo-opercular/salience network and basal ganglia communities. The right posterior inferior temporal gyrus, left intraparietal sulcus, and two regions in the right ventromedial occipital cortex demonstrated robust differences between formats in terms of their community membership, supporting prior findings that these areas are differentially engaged based on number format. Furthermore, a unified fronto-parietal/dorsal attention community in the nonsymbolic condition was fractionated into two components in the symbolic condition. Taken together, these results reveal a pattern of overlapping and distinct network architectures for symbolic and nonsymbolic number processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin N. Conrad
- Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Eric D. Wilkey
- Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Brain & Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Darren J. Yeo
- Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Gavin R. Price
- Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Wilkey ED, Conrad BN, Yeo DJ, Price GR. Shared Numerosity Representations Across Formats and Tasks Revealed with 7 Tesla fMRI: Decoding, Generalization, and Individual Differences in Behavior. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa038. [PMID: 34296107 PMCID: PMC8153058 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Debate continues on whether encoding of symbolic number is grounded in nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes. Nevertheless, fluency of perceiving both number formats, and translating between them, predicts math skills across the life span. Therefore, this study asked if numbers share cortical activation patterns across formats and tasks, and whether neural response to number predicts math-related behaviors. We analyzed patterns of neural activation using 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 39 healthy adults. Discrimination was successful between numerosities 2, 4, 6, and 8 dots and generalized to activation patterns of the same numerosities represented as Arabic digits in the bilateral parietal lobes and left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (and vice versa). This indicates that numerosity-specific neural resources are shared between formats. Generalization was also successful across tasks where participants either identified or compared numerosities in bilateral parietal lobes and IFG. Individual differences in decoding did not relate to performance on a number comparison task completed outside of the scanner, but generalization between formats and across tasks negatively related to math achievement in the parietal lobes. Together, these findings suggest that individual differences in representational specificity within format and task contexts relate to mathematical expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Wilkey
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A5B7, Canada
| | - Benjamin N Conrad
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
- Division of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 639818, Singapore
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
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Wilkey ED, Ansari D. Challenging the neurobiological link between number sense and symbolic numerical abilities. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1464:76-98. [PMID: 31549430 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
A significant body of research links individual differences in symbolic numerical abilities, such as arithmetic, to number sense, the neurobiological system used to approximate and manipulate quantities without language or symbols. However, recent findings from cognitive neuroscience challenge this influential theory. Our current review presents an overview of evidence for the number sense account of symbolic numerical abilities and then reviews recent studies that challenge this account, organized around the following four assertions. (1) There is no number sense as traditionally conceived. (2) Neural substrates of number sense are more widely distributed than common consensus asserts, complicating the neurobiological evidence linking number sense to numerical abilities. (3) The most common measures of number sense are confounded by other cognitive demands, which drive key correlations. (4) Number sense and symbolic number systems (Arabic digits, number words, and so on) rely on distinct neural mechanisms and follow independent developmental trajectories. The review follows each assertion with comments on future directions that may bring resolution to these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Wilkey
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Ansari
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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Yeo DJ, Wilkey ED, Price GR. Malleability of mappings between Arabic numerals and approximate quantities: Factors underlying individual differences and the relation to math. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019; 198:102877. [PMID: 31310890 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.102877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans tend to be inaccurate and inconsistent when estimating a large number of objects. Furthermore, we modify our estimates when feedback or a reference array is provided, indicating that the mappings between perceived numerosity and their corresponding numerals are largely malleable in response to calibration. However, there is great variability in response to calibration across individuals. Using uncalibrated and calibrated numerosity estimation conditions, the current study explored the factors underlying individual differences in the extent and nature of the malleability of numerosity estimation performance as a result of calibration in a sample of 71 undergraduate students. We found that individual differences in performance were reliable across conditions, and participants' responses to calibration varied greatly. Participants who were less consistent or had more proportionally spaced (i.e., linear) estimates before calibration tended to shift the distributions of their estimates to a greater extent. Higher calculation competence also predicted an increase in how linear participants' estimates were after calibration. Moreover, the effect of calibration was not continuous across numerosities within participants. This suggests that the mechanisms underlying numeral-numerosity mappings may be less systematic than previously thought and likely depend on cognitive mechanisms beyond representation of numerosities. Taken together, the mappings between numerosities and numerical symbols may not be stable and direct, but transient and mediated by task-related (e.g., strategic) mechanisms. Rather than estimation skills being foundational for math competence, math competence may also influence estimation skills. Therefore, numerosity estimation tasks are not a pure measure of number representations.
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Wilkey ED, Pollack C, Price GR. Dyscalculia and Typical Math Achievement Are Associated With Individual Differences in Number-Specific Executive Function. Child Dev 2018; 91:596-619. [PMID: 30597527 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in numerical magnitude perception characterize the mathematics learning disability developmental dyscalculia (DD), but recent studies suggest the relation stems from inhibitory control demands from incongruent visual cues in the nonsymbolic number comparison task. This study investigated the relation among magnitude perception during differing congruency conditions, executive function, and mathematics achievement measured longitudinally in children (n = 448) from ages 4 to 13. This relation was investigated across achievement groups and as it related to mathematics across the full range of achievement. Only performance on incongruent trials related to achievement. Findings indicate that executive function in a numerical context, beyond magnitude perception or executive function in a non-numerical context, relates to DD and mathematics across a wide range of achievement.
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Wilkey ED, Price GR. Attention to number: The convergence of numerical magnitude processing, attention, and mathematics in the inferior frontal gyrus. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:928-943. [PMID: 30387895 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Research indicates that the neurocognitive system representing nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes is foundational for the development of mathematical competence. However, recent studies found that the most common task used to measure numerical acuity, the nonsymbolic number comparison task, is heavily influenced by non-numerical visual parameters of stimuli that increase executive function demands. Further, this influence may be a confound invalidating theoretical accounts of the relation between number comparison performance and mathematical competence. Instead of acuity, the relation may depend on one's ability to attend to numerical information in the face of competing, non-numerical cues. The current study investigated this issue by measuring neural activity associated with numerical magnitude processing acuity, domain-general attention, and selective attention to number via functional magnetic resonance imaging while children 8-11 years old completed a nonsymbolic number comparison task and a flanker task. Results showed that activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus during incongruent versus congruent trials of the comparison task, our construct for attention to number, predicted mathematics achievement after controlling for verbal IQ, flanker accuracy rate, and the neural congruency effect from the flanker task. In contrast, activity in frontal and parietal regions responding to differences in difficulty of numerical comparisons, our construct for numerical magnitude processing acuity, did not correlate with achievement. Together, these findings suggest a need to reframe existing models of the relation between number processing and math competence to include the interaction between attention and use of numerical information, or in other words "attention to number."
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Wilkey
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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Price GR, Yeo DJ, Wilkey ED, Cutting LE. Prospective relations between resting-state connectivity of parietal subdivisions and arithmetic competence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:280-290. [PMID: 28268177 PMCID: PMC5568461 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigates the relation between resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of cytoarchitectonically defined subdivisions of the parietal cortex at the end of 1st grade and arithmetic performance at the end of 2nd grade. Results revealed a dissociable pattern of relations between rsFC and arithmetic competence among subdivisions of intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and angular gyrus (AG). rsFC between right hemisphere IPS subdivisions and contralateral IPS subdivisions positively correlated with arithmetic competence. In contrast, rsFC between the left hIP1 and the right medial temporal lobe, and rsFC between the left AG and left superior frontal gyrus, were negatively correlated with arithmetic competence. These results suggest that strong inter-hemispheric IPS connectivity is important for math development, reflecting either neurocognitive mechanisms specific to arithmetic processing, domain-general mechanisms that are particularly relevant to arithmetic competence, or structural 'cortical maturity'. Stronger connectivity between IPS, and AG, subdivisions and frontal and temporal cortices, however, appears to be negatively associated with math development, possibly reflecting the ability to disengage suboptimal problem-solving strategies during mathematical processing, or to flexibly reorient task-based networks. Importantly, the reported results pertain even when controlling for reading, spatial attention, and working memory, suggesting that the observed rsFC-behavior relations are specific to arithmetic competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University,230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University,230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA; Division of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University,14 Nanyang Avenue, 637332, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eric D Wilkey
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University,230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA
| | - Laurie E Cutting
- Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University,230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.
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Wilkey ED, Cutting LE, Price GR. Neuroanatomical correlates of performance in a state-wide test of math achievement. Dev Sci 2018; 21:10.1111/desc.12545. [PMID: 28256036 PMCID: PMC5901957 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The development of math skills is a critical component of early education and a strong indicator of later school and economic success. Recent research utilizing population-normed, standardized measures of math achievement suggest that structural and functional integrity of parietal regions, especially the intraparietal sulcus, are closely related to the development of math skills. However, it is unknown how these findings relate to in-school math learning. The present study is the first to address this issue by investigating the relationship between regional differences in grey matter (GM) volume and performance in grade-level mathematics as measured by a state-wide, school-based test of math achievement (TCAP math) in children from 3rd to 8th grade. Results show that increased GM volume in the bilateral hippocampal formation and the right inferior frontal gyrus, regions associated with learning and memory, is associated with higher TCAP math scores. Secondary analyses revealed that GM volume in the left angular gyrus had a stronger relationship to TCAP math in grades 3-4 than in grades 5-8 while the relationship between GM volume in the left inferior frontal gyrus and TCAP math was stronger for grades 5-8. These results suggest that the neuroanatomical architecture related to in-school math achievement differs from that related to math achievement measured by standardized tests, and that the most related neural structures differ as a function of grade level. We suggest, therefore, that the use of school-relevant outcome measures is critical if neuroscience is to bridge the gap to education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D. Wilkey
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203
| | - Laurie E. Cutting
- Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN, 37240
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN, 37240
- Department of Radiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN, 37240
| | - Gavin R. Price
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203
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Yeo DJ, Wilkey ED, Price GR. The search for the number form area: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 78:145-160. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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16
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Price GR, Wilkey ED, Yeo DJ. Eye-movement patterns during nonsymbolic and symbolic numerical magnitude comparison and their relation to math calculation skills. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2017; 176:47-57. [PMID: 28371671 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of research suggests that the processing of nonsymbolic (e.g. sets of dots) and symbolic (e.g. Arabic digits) numerical magnitudes serves as a foundation for the development of math competence. Performance on magnitude comparison tasks is thought to reflect the precision of a shared cognitive representation, as evidence by the presence of a numerical ratio effect for both formats. However, little is known regarding how visuo-perceptual processes are related to the numerical ratio effect, whether they are shared across numerical formats, and whether they relate to math competence independently of performance outcomes. The present study investigates these questions in a sample of typically developing adults. Our results reveal a pattern of associations between eye-movement measures, but not their ratio effects, across formats. This suggests that ratio-specific visuo-perceptual processing during magnitude processing is different across nonsymbolic and symbolic formats. Furthermore, eye movements are related to math performance only during symbolic comparison, supporting a growing body of literature suggesting symbolic number processing is more strongly related to math outcomes than nonsymbolic magnitude processing. Finally, eye-movement patterns, specifically fixation dwell time, continue to be negatively related to math performance after controlling for task performance (i.e. error rate and reaction time) and domain general cognitive abilities (IQ), suggesting that fluent visual processing of Arabic digits plays a unique and important role in linking symbolic number processing to formal math abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States.
| | - Eric D Wilkey
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
| | - Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, United States; Division of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 14 Nanyang Avenue, 637332, Singapore
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17
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Price GR, Wilkey ED, Yeo DJ, Cutting LE. The relation between 1st grade grey matter volume and 2nd grade math competence. Neuroimage 2016; 124:232-237. [PMID: 26334946 PMCID: PMC4651751 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Revised: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical and numerical competence is a critical foundation for individual success in modern society yet the neurobiological sources of individual differences in math competence are poorly understood. Neuroimaging research over the last decade suggests that neural mechanisms in the parietal lobe, particularly the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) are structurally aberrant in individuals with mathematical learning disabilities. However, whether those same brain regions underlie individual differences in math performance across the full range of math abilities is unknown. Furthermore, previous studies have been exclusively cross-sectional, making it unclear whether variations in the structure of the IPS are caused by or consequences of the development of math skills. The present study investigates the relation between grey matter volume across the whole brain and math competence longitudinally in a representative sample of 50 elementary school children. Results show that grey matter volume in the left IPS at the end of 1st grade relates to math competence a year later at the end of 2nd grade. Grey matter volume in this region did not change over that year, and was still correlated with math competence at the end of 2nd grade. These findings support the hypothesis that the IPS and its associated functions represent a critical foundation for the acquisition of mathematical competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin R Price
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Eric D Wilkey
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Darren J Yeo
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Laurie E Cutting
- Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
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