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Girard C, Bastelica T, Léone J, Epinat-Duclos J, Longo L, Prado J. Nurturing the Mathematical Brain: Home Numeracy Practices Are Associated With Children's Neural Responses to Arabic Numerals. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:196-211. [PMID: 35108141 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211034498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Disparities in home numeracy environments contribute to variations in children's mathematical skills. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relation between home numeracy experiences and mathematical learning are unknown. Here, parents of 66 eight-year-olds completed a questionnaire assessing the frequency of home numeracy practices. Neural adaptation to the repetition of Arabic numerals and words was measured in children using functional MRI (n = 50) to assess how sensitive the brain is to the presentation of numerical and nonnumerical information. Disparities in home numeracy practices were related to differences in digit (but not word) processing in a region of the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) that was also related to children's arithmetic fluency. Furthermore, digit-related processing in the IPS influenced the relation between home numeracy practices and arithmetic fluency. Results were consistent with a model hypothesizing that home numeracy practices may affect children's mathematical skills by modulating the IPS response to symbolic numerical information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cléa Girard
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Thomas Bastelica
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Jessica Léone
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Léa Longo
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Lyon, France; Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France; and Université de Lyon
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Girard C, Bastelica T, Léone J, Epinat-Duclos J, Longo L, Prado J. Nurturing the reading brain: home literacy practices are associated with children's neural response to printed words through vocabulary skills. NPJ Sci Learn 2021; 6:34. [PMID: 34862413 PMCID: PMC8642429 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-021-00112-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies indicate that children are exposed to different literacy experiences at home. Although these disparities have been shown to affect children's literacy skills, it remains unclear whether and how home literacy practices influence brain activity underlying word-level reading. In the present study, we asked parents of French children from various socioeconomic backgrounds (n = 66; 8.46 ± 0.36 years, range 7.52-9.22; 20 girls) to report the frequency of home literacy practices. Neural adaptation to the repetition of printed words was then measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a subset of these children (n = 44; 8.49 ± 0.33 years, range 8.02-9.14; 13 girls), thereby assessing how sensitive was the brain to the repeated presentation of these words. We found that more frequent home literacy practices were associated with enhanced word adaptation in the left posterior inferior frontal sulcus (r = 0.32). We also found that the frequency of home literacy practices was associated with children's vocabulary skill (r = 0.25), which itself influenced the relation between home literacy practices and neural adaptation to words. Finally, none of these effects were observed in a digit adaptation task, highlighting their specificity to word recognition. These findings are consistent with a model positing that home literacy experiences may improve children's vocabulary skill, which in turn may influence the neural mechanisms supporting word-level reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cléa Girard
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, 69500, Bron, France.
| | - Thomas Bastelica
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, 69500, Bron, France
| | - Jessica Léone
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, 69500, Bron, France
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, 69500, Bron, France
| | - Léa Longo
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, 69500, Bron, France
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, 69500, Bron, France.
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Epinat-Duclos J, Foncelle A, Quesque F, Chabanat E, Duguet A, Van der Henst JB, Rossetti Y. Does nonviolent communication education improve empathy in French medical students? Int J Med Educ 2021; 12:205-218. [PMID: 34716989 PMCID: PMC8994647 DOI: 10.5116/ijme.615e.c507] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of nonviolent communication (NVC) training on five aspects of medical students' empathy skills using implicit and explicit measures. METHODS 312 third-year French medical students were randomly allocated to an intervention group (n = 123) or a control group (n = 189). The intervention group received 2.5 days of NVC training. For each group, empathy-related skills were measured implicitly using three cognitive tests (Visuo-Spatial Perspective Taking, Privileged Knowledge, Empathy for Pain evaluation) and explicitly using two self-rating questionnaires (Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, Empathy Quotient). Both groups completed tests and questionnaires before (pre-test) and three months after training (post-test). Responses were collected via online software, and data were analyzed using paired linear mixed models and Bayes Factors. RESULTS We found a significant increase in the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) score between pre- and post-tests in the intervention group compared to the control group (linear mixed models: 0.95 points [0.17, 1.73], t(158) = 2.39, p < 0.05), and an expected gender effect whereby females had higher JSPE scores (1.57 points [0.72, 2.42], t(262) = -3.62, p < 0.001). There was no interaction between these two factors. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that brief training in nonviolent communication improves subjective empathy three months after training. These results are promising for the long-term effectiveness of NVC training on medical students' empathy and call for the introduction of NVC training in medical school. Further studies should investigate whether longer training will produce larger and longer-lasting benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Epinat-Duclos
- TRAJECTOIRES Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, University of Lyon, France
| | - Alexandre Foncelle
- TRAJECTOIRES Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, University of Lyon, France
| | - François Quesque
- TRAJECTOIRES Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, University of Lyon, France
| | - Eric Chabanat
- TRAJECTOIRES Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, University of Lyon, France
| | - Alexandre Duguet
- AP-HP-Sorbonne University INSERM, MRSU 1158, Faculty of Medicine Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Van der Henst
- TRAJECTOIRES Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, University of Lyon, France
| | - Yves Rossetti
- TRAJECTOIRES Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, University of Lyon, France
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Girard C, Bastelica T, Léone J, Epinat-Duclos J, Longo L, Prado J. The relation between home numeracy practices and a variety of math skills in elementary school children. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255400. [PMID: 34543301 PMCID: PMC8452026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing number of studies suggest that the frequency of numeracy experiences that parents provide at home may relate to children's mathematical development. However, the relation between home numeracy practices and children's numerical skills is complex and might depend upon both the type and difficulty of activities, as well as the type of math skills. Studies have also argued that this relation may be driven by factors that are not systematically controlled for in the literature, including socio-economic status (SES), parental math skills and children's IQ. Finally, as most prior studies have focused on preschoolers, it remains unclear to what extent there remains a relation between the home numeracy environment and math skills when children are in elementary school. In the present study, we tested an extensive range of math skills in 66 8-year-olds, including non-symbolic quantity processing, symbolic number understanding, transcoding, counting, and mental arithmetic. We also asked parents to complete a questionnaire about their SES, academic expectations, academic attitudes, and the numeracy practices that they provide at home. Finally, we measured their arithmetic fluency as a proxy for parental math skills. Over and above differences in socio-economic status, parental arithmetic fluency, child's IQ, and time spent with the child, we found a positive relation between the frequency of formal numeracy practices that were at or above grade level and two separate measures of mental arithmetic. We further found that the frequency of these advanced formal numeracy practices was related to parents' academic expectations. Therefore, our study shows that home numeracy experiences predict arithmetic skills in elementary school children, but only when those activities are formal and sufficiently challenging for children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cléa Girard
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team, INSERM U1028—CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Thomas Bastelica
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team, INSERM U1028—CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Jessica Léone
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team, INSERM U1028—CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team, INSERM U1028—CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Léa Longo
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team, INSERM U1028—CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team, INSERM U1028—CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
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Courtier P, Gardes ML, Van der Henst JB, Noveck IA, Croset MC, Epinat-Duclos J, Léone J, Prado J. Effects of Montessori Education on the Academic, Cognitive, and Social Development of Disadvantaged Preschoolers: A Randomized Controlled Study in the French Public-School System. Child Dev 2021; 92:2069-2088. [PMID: 33932226 PMCID: PMC8518750 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Previous research on Montessori preschool education is inconsistent and prone to analytic flexibility. In this preregistered study, disadvantaged preschoolers in a French public school were randomly assigned to either conventional or Montessori classrooms, with the latter being adapted to French public education. Adaptations included fewer materials, shorter work periods, and relatively limited Montessori teacher training. Cross‐sectional analyses in kindergarten (N = 176; Mage = 5–6) and longitudinal analyses over the 3 years of preschool (N = 70; Mage = 3–6) showed that the adapted Montessori curriculum was associated with outcomes comparable to the conventional curriculum on math, executive functions, and social skills. However, disadvantaged kindergarteners from Montessori classrooms outperformed their peers on reading (d = 0.68). This performance was comparable to that of advantaged children from an accredited Montessori preschool.
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Prado J, Léone J, Epinat-Duclos J, Trouche E, Mercier H. The neural bases of argumentative reasoning. Brain Lang 2020; 208:104827. [PMID: 32590183 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Most reasoning tasks used in behavioral and neuroimaging studies are abstract, triggering slow, effortful processes. By contrast, most of everyday life reasoning is fast and effortless, as when we exchange arguments in conversation. Recent behavioral studies have shown that reasoning tasks with the same underlying logic can be solved much more easily if they are embedded in an argumentative context. In the present article, we study the neural bases of this type of everyday, argumentative reasoning. Such reasoning is both a social and a metarepresentational process, suggesting it should share some mechanisms, and thus some neural bases, with other social, metarepresentational process such as pragmatics, metacognition, or theory of mind. To isolate the neural bases of argumentative reasoning, we measured fMRI activity of participants who read the same statement presented either as the conclusion of an argument, or as an assertion. We found that conclusions of arguments, compared to assertions, were associated with greater activity in a region of the medial prefrontal cortex that was identified in quantitative meta-analyses of studies on theory of mind. This study shows that it is possible to use more ecologically valid tasks to study the neural bases of reasoning, and that using such tasks might point to different neural bases than those observed with the more abstract and artificial tasks typically used in the neuroscience of reasoning. Specifically, we speculate that reasoning in an argumentative context might rely on mechanisms supporting metarepresentational processes in the medial prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Prado
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team (EDUWELL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Marc Jeannerod Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS UMR 5304, University of Lyon, Lyon, France.
| | - Jessica Léone
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team (EDUWELL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Marc Jeannerod Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS UMR 5304, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Experiential Neuroscience and Mental Training Team (EDUWELL), INSERM U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Marc Jeannerod Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS UMR 5304, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Emmanuel Trouche
- Marc Jeannerod Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS UMR 5304, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; University Mohammed 6 Polytechnic, Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences, Ben Guerir, Morocco
| | - Hugo Mercier
- Marc Jeannerod Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS UMR 5304, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; Institut Jean Nicod, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, PSL University, CNRS, Paris, France.
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Aguirre M, Couderc A, Epinat-Duclos J, Mascaro O. Infants discriminate the source of social touch at stroking speeds eliciting maximal firing rates in CT-fibers. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100639. [PMID: 30903992 PMCID: PMC6969234 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Infants’ cardiac response to touch varies depending on its social source. This effect occurs only for velocities yielding maximal firing rates in CTs. Infants’ responses to touch do not just depend upon its mechanical properties.
The evaluation of interpersonal touch is heavily influenced by its source. For example, a gentle stroke from a loved one is generally more pleasant than the same tactile stimulation from a complete stranger. Our study tested the early ontogenetic roots of humans’ sensitivity to the source of interpersonal touch. We measured the heart rate of three groups of nine-month-olds while their legs were stroked with a brush. The participants were stroked at a different speed in each group (0.3 cm/s, 3 cm/s, 30 cm/s). Depending on the Identity condition (stranger vs. parent), the person who acted as if she was stroking the infant’s leg was either an unfamiliar experimenter or the participant’s caregiver. In fact, the stimulation was always delivered by a second experimenter blind to the Identity condition. Infants’ heart rate decreased more in reaction to strokes when their caregiver rather than a stranger acted as the source of the touch. This effect was found only for tactile stimulations whose velocity (3 cm/s) is known to elicit maximal mean firing rates in a class of afferents named C-tactile fibers (CTs). Thus, the infants’ reaction to touch is modulated not just by its mechanical properties but also by its social source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Aguirre
- Institute for Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR 5304/Univ Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Auriane Couderc
- Institute for Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR 5304/Univ Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Institute for Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR 5304/Univ Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Olivier Mascaro
- Institute for Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR 5304/Univ Lyon, Bron, France.
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Schwartz F, Epinat-Duclos J, Léone J, Poisson A, Prado J. Impaired neural processing of transitive relations in children with math learning difficulty. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 20:1255-1265. [PMID: 30389345 PMCID: PMC6308383 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Math learning difficulty (i.e., MLD) is common in children and can have far-reaching consequences in personal and professional life. Converging evidence suggests that MLD is associated with impairments in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). However, the role that these impairments play in MLD remains unclear. Although it is often assumed that IPS deficits affect core numerical abilities, the IPS is also involved in several non-numerical processes that may contribute to math skills. For instance, the IPS supports transitive reasoning (i.e., the ability to integrate relations such as A > B and B > C to infer that A > C), a skill that is central to many aspects of math learning in children. Here we measured fMRI activity of 8- to 12-year-olds with MLD and typically developing (TD) peers while they listened to stories that included transitive relations. Children also answered questions evaluating whether transitive inferences were made during story comprehension. Compared to non-transitive relations (e.g., A > B and C > D), listening to transitive relations (e.g., A > B and B > C) was associated with enhanced activity in the IPS in TD children. In children with MLD, the difference in activity between transitive and non-transitive relations in the IPS was (i) non-reliable and (ii) smaller than in TD children. Finally, children with MLD were less accurate than TD peers when making transitive inferences based on transitive relations. Thus, a deficit in the online processing of transitive relations in the IPS might contribute to math difficulties in children with MLD. Transitive reasoning is central to mathematical thinking. Transitive reasoning relies on the intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) in healthy children. Math learning difficulty (MLD) is associated with IPS impairments. Transitive reasoning is impaired in children with MLD. Transitive reasoning does not engage the IPS in children with MLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Schwartz
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France.
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France
| | - Jessica Léone
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France
| | - Alice Poisson
- GénoPsy, Reference center for rare diseases with psychiatric symptoms, Centre Hospitalier le Vinatier, 69678 Bron cedex, France
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron cedex, France.
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Schwartz F, Epinat-Duclos J, Noveck I, Prado J. The neural development of pragmatic inference-making in natural discourse. Dev Sci 2018; 21:e12678. [PMID: 30028059 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Older interlocutors are more likely than younger ones to make pragmatic inferences, that is, inferences that go beyond the linguistically encoded meaning of a sentence. Here we ask whether pragmatic development is associated with increased activity in brain structures associated with inference-making or in those associated with Theory of Mind. We employed a reading task that presents vignettes in one of two versions, one of which is expected to prompt more pragmatic processing. Both versions present a major premise containing three possibilities (e.g., Xavier is considering Thursday, Friday or Saturday for inviting his girlfriend out). In the Fully-Deductive (control) condition, the major premise is followed by two disjunction-elimination premises through two separate lines (one indicating that Saturday is not convenient and another saying that Thursday is not convenient); this is followed by a valid conclusion (e.g., "I'll reserve Friday"). In the Implicated-Premise condition, the first disjunction-elimination premise is followed by a second similar one that eliminates the same disjunction (e.g., both lines explain why Saturday is not convenient). In this condition, readers may pragmatically enrich the conclusion (i.e., "I'll reserve Friday" pragmatically implicates that Xavier is also eliminating Thursday from consideration). Reading times in Experiment 1 showed that processing the speaker's conclusion in the Implicated-Premise condition becomes increasingly more effort-demanding as readers reach adolescence. Experiment 2 showed that this developmental pattern is related to age-related increases in fMRI activity in fronto-parietal regions typically involved in inference-making processes. We found no evidence indicating age effects related to Theory of Mind areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Schwartz
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod - UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod - UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Ira Noveck
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod - UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod - UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
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Mathieu R, Epinat-Duclos J, Léone J, Fayol M, Thevenot C, Prado J. Hippocampal spatial mechanisms relate to the development of arithmetic symbol processing in children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017. [PMID: 28648549 PMCID: PMC6969119 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the meaning of abstract mathematical symbols is a cornerstone of arithmetic learning in children. Studies have long focused on the role of spatial intuitions in the processing of numerals. However, it has been argued that such intuitions may also underlie symbols that convey fundamental arithmetic concepts, such as arithmetic operators. In the present cross-sectional study, we used fMRI to investigate how and when associations between arithmetic operators and brain regions processing spatial information emerge in children from 3rd to 10th grade. We found that the mere perception of a ‘+’ sign elicited grade-related increases of spatial activity in the right hippocampus. That is, merely perceiving ‘+’ signs – without any operands – elicited enhanced hippocampal activity after around 7th grade (12–13 years old). In these children, hippocampal activity in response to a ‘+’ sign was further correlated with the degree to which calculation performance was facilitated by the preview of that sign before an addition problem, an effect termed operator-priming. Grade-related increases of hippocampal spatial activity were operation-specific because they were not observed with ‘×’ signs, which might evoke rote retrieval rather than numerical manipulation. Our study raises the possibility that hippocampal spatial mechanisms help build associations between some arithmetic operators and space throughout age and/or education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Mathieu
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, Bron, France; Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Université de Genève, 1205 Genève, Switzerland.
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Jessica Léone
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Michel Fayol
- Université de Clermont Auvergne & CNRS, 63037 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Catherine Thevenot
- Institut de Psychologie, Université de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) & Université de Lyon, Bron, France.
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Mathieu R, Epinat-Duclos J, Sigovan M, Breton A, Cheylus A, Fayol M, Thevenot C, Prado J. What's Behind a “+” Sign? Perceiving an Arithmetic Operator Recruits Brain Circuits for Spatial Orienting. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:1673-1684. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Romain Mathieu
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France
- Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Université de Genève, 1205 Genève, Switzerland
| | - Justine Epinat-Duclos
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France
| | - Monica Sigovan
- Laboratoire CREATIS, Université Lyon 1, CNRS/INSERM, INSA-Lyon & HCL, Lyon, France
| | - Audrey Breton
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France
| | - Anne Cheylus
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France
| | - Michel Fayol
- Clermont II & CNRS, UFR de Psychologie, LAPSCO, Université Blaise Pascal,
63037 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Catherine Thevenot
- Institut de Psychologie, Université de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jérôme Prado
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5304, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 1, Bron, France
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