1,720,968 research outputs found
Cognitive correlates of math abilities in autism spectrum disorder
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the contribution of different cognitive processes to specific math abilities in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) students. The study involved a group of students with ASD without intellectual disabilities (n = 26) and a group with TD students (n = 52). The two groups aged from six to 20 years old and were matched for age, sex ratio and visuospatial reasoning. To assess math abilities, four math tasks were administered: arithmetic facts, mental calculation, mathematical inferences and math problem solving. Concerning cognitive processes, participants were tested on vocabulary, verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, response inhibition and interference control. The group with ASD showed lower scores on all specific math measures than the TD group; cognitive processes differently contributed to diverse math abilities, and vocabulary and verbal working memory were stronger associated to specific math abilities in the group with ASD than in the TD group. The current results suggest that students with ASD had lower math abilities that are generalized to different math tasks. Implications for research and clinical assessment and intervention were discussed
Inhibitory Control in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Meta-analyses on Indirect and Direct Measures
This manuscript aimed to advance our understanding of inhibitory control (IC) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), adopting a meta-analytic multilevel approach. The first meta-analysis, on 164 studies adopting direct measures, indicated a significant small-to-medium (g = 0.484) deficit in the group with ASD (n = 5140) compared with controls (n = 6075). Similar effect sizes between response inhibition and interference control were found, but they were differentially affected by intellectual functioning and age. The second meta-analysis, on 24 studies using indirect measures, revealed a large deficit (g = 1.334) in the group with ASD (n = 985) compared with controls (n = 1300). Presentation format, intellectual functioning, and age were significant moderators. The effect of comorbidity with ADHD was not statistically significant. Implications are discussed for IC research and practice in autism
Il controllo inibitorio nei disturbi dello spettro autistico: meta-analisi su misure dirette e indirette
Math abilities in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis
Background: Studies focusing on math abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are limited and often provide inconsistent results. Aim: This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate math abilities in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to typically developing (TD) participants. Methods and procedures: According with PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search strategy was adopted. First, 4405 records were identified through database searching; then, the title-abstract screening led to the identification of 58 potentially relevant studies and, finally, after the full-text screening, 13 studies were included. Outcomes and results: Results shows that the group with ASD (n = 533) performed lower than the TD group (n = 525) with a small-to-medium effect (g=0.49). The effect size was not moderated by task-related characteristics. Instead, sample-related characteristics, specifically age, verbal intellectual functioning, and working memory, were significant moderators. Conclusions and implications: This meta-analysis shows that people with ASD have poorer math skills than their TD peers, suggesting the importance of investigating math abilities in autism, taking into account the role of moderating variables
Il ruolo di diverse componenti esecutive rispetto allo sviluppo di differenti prerequisiti matematici
Promuovere il senso del numero nei bambini con SES basso: un confronto tra interventi a bassa e alta intensità
Understanding the Role of Cognitive Abilities and Math Anxiety in Adolescent Math Achievement
A consistent amount of research has tried to study the contributions of cognitive and emotional factors involved in math achievement. Despite this, research examining their joint role in children is scarce. In this paper, we examined the joint role of cognitive and math anxiety on math achievement in a sample of 135 seventh-grade children (54% male, M-age = 12.79, SD = 0.47). Math achievement was measured using a validated paper-and-pencil test, while higher-order cognitive abilities were assessed with a PMAs test. Working memory was evaluated through two verbal and two visuo-spatial experimental span tasks. Inhibitory control was measured using three computerized tasks adapted from the classic Stroop, Flanker, and Simon tasks. Math anxiety was assessed with an AMAS questionnaire. A series of correlation analyses and path models were conducted to understand the complex relationships among the factors. The correlations showed a positive relationship among our cognitive abilities and a negative correlation with math anxiety. The results from the path analysis showed a strong effect of higher-order cognitive abilities on math achievement (beta = 0.44, p < .001) and highlighted the mediating role of working memory between math anxiety and math performance (beta = -0.04, 95%CI [-0.11; -0.00]). Conversely, inhibitory control did not seem to play a crucial role in this relationship (beta = -0.03, 95%CI [-0.08; 0.00]). These findings are discussed in relation to current theoretical frameworks. Interventions aimed at reducing math anxiety could help improve math achievement
The relationship of working memory and inhibition with different number knowledge skills in preschool children
The purpose of this study was to analyze the contribution of specific executive function (EF) components to different number knowledge skills. A sample of 143 children attending the last year of preschool educational services (Mage = 65.01 months, SD = 3.57) were tested on five number knowledge tasks from the Numerical Intelligence Battery and four EF tasks assessing working memory (WM) and inhibition. First, we examined the interrelationship between different number skills; the results suggested that the relationship between basic informal skills (set comparison and number sequence) and formal skills (seriation of Arabic numerals and number comparison) was mediated by the ability to link sets to numerals. Next, we explored the contribution of WM and inhibition to different number knowledge skills. The structural equation model showed that WM and inhibition were differentially related to specific number knowledge skills. Specifically, WM predicted most components of number knowledge, including the two basic informal skills and the number comparison, whereas inhibition contributed to the seriation of Arabic numerals. The ability to link sets to numerals was predicted only by number sequence, not by EF components
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