User menu

Accès à distance ? S'identifier sur le proxy UCLouvain

Numerical and nonnumerical estimation in children with and without mathematical learning disabilities

Primary tabs

Mejias Vanslype, Sandrine [UCL] Mussolin, Christophe [ULB] Rousselle, Laurence [UCL] Grégoire, Jacques [UCL] Noël, Marie-Pascale [UCL]

There are currently multiple explanations for mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). The present study focused on those assuming that MLD are due to a basic numerical deficit affecting the ability to represent and to manipulate number magnitude (Butterworth, 1999, 2005; A. J. Wilson & Dehaene, 2007) and/or to access that number magnitude representation from numerical symbols (Rousselle & Noël, 2007). The present study provides an original contribution to this issue by testing MLD children (carefully selected on the basis of preserved abilities in other domains) on numerical estimation tasks with contrasting symbolic (Arabic numerals) and nonsymbolic (collection of dots) numbers used as input or output. MLD children performed consistently less accurately than control children on all the estimation tasks. However, MLD children were even weaker when the task involved the mapping between symbolic and nonsymbolic numbers than when the task required a mapping between two nonsymbolic numerical formats. Moreover, in the estimation of nonsymbolic numerosities, MLD children relied more than control children on perceptual cues such as the cumulative area of the dots. Finally, the task requiring a mapping from a nonsymbolic format to a symbolic format was the best predictor of MLD. In order to explain these present results, as well as those reported in the literature, we propose that the impoverished number magnitude representation of MLD children may arise from an initial mapping deficit between number symbols and that magnitude representation.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès restreint
Publication date 2012
Language Anglais
Journal information "Child Neuropsychology" - Vol. 18, no.6, p. 550-575 (2012)
Peer reviewed yes
issn 0929-7049
e-issn 1744-4136
Publication status Publié
Affiliation UCL - SSH/IPSY - Psychological Sciences Research Institute
Links
  1. Berteletti Ilaria, Lucangeli Daniela, Piazza Manuela, Dehaene Stanislas, Zorzi Marco, Numerical estimation in preschoolers., 10.1037/a0017887
  2. Booth Julie L., Siegler Robert S., Developmental and individual differences in pure numerical estimation., 10.1037/0012-1649.41.6.189
  3. Butterworth B., The mathematical brain (1999)
  4. Butterworth B., Handbook of mathematical cognition, 455 (2005)
  5. Castronovo Julie, Seron Xavier, Numerical estimation in blind subjects: Evidence of the impact of blindness and its following experience., 10.1037/0096-1523.33.5.1089
  6. Chillier L., Le développement des activités numériques chez l'enfant [The development of numerical activities for children], 129 (2002)
  7. Cordes Sara, Gelman Rochel, Gallistel C. R., Whalen John, Variability signatures distinguish verbal from nonverbal counting for both large and small numbers, 10.3758/bf03196206
  8. Crollen Virginie, Castronovo Julie, Seron Xavier, Under- and Over-Estimation : A Bi-Directional Mapping Process Between Symbolic and Non-Symbolic Representations of Number?, 10.1027/1618-3169/a000064
  9. Cuneo Diane O, Children's judgments of numerical quantity: A new view of early quantification, 10.1016/0010-0285(82)90003-2
  10. De Smedt Bert, Gilmore Camilla K., Defective number module or impaired access? Numerical magnitude processing in first graders with mathematical difficulties, 10.1016/j.jecp.2010.09.003
  11. Dehaene Stanislas, The neural basis of the Weber–Fechner law: a logarithmic mental number line, 10.1016/s1364-6613(03)00055-x
  12. Feigenson Lisa, Carey Susan, Spelke Elizabeth, Infants' Discrimination of Number vs. Continuous Extent, 10.1006/cogp.2001.0760
  13. Gallistel C.R., Gelman Rochel, Preverbal and verbal counting and computation, 10.1016/0010-0277(92)90050-r
  14. Geary David C., Mathematical disabilities: Cognitive, neuropsychological, and genetic components., 10.1037/0033-2909.114.2.345
  15. Geary David C., Mathematics and Learning Disabilities, 10.1177/00222194040370010201
  16. Geary D. C., La dyscalculie: Trouble du développement numérique de l'enfant [Dyscalculia: A disorder of the numerical development of the child] (2005)
  17. Geary David C, Hoard Mary K, Byrd-Craven Jennifer, Catherine DeSoto M, Strategy choices in simple and complex addition: Contributions of working memory and counting knowledge for children with mathematical disability, 10.1016/j.jecp.2004.03.002
  18. Geary David C., Hoard Mary K., Byrd-Craven Jennifer, Nugent Lara, Numtee Chattavee, Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Achievement Deficits in Children With Mathematical Learning Disability, 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01069.x
  19. Geary David C., Hoard Mary K., Hamson Carmen O., Numerical and Arithmetical Cognition: Patterns of Functions and Deficits in Children at Risk for a Mathematical Disability, 10.1006/jecp.1999.2515
  20. Geary David C., Hoard Mary K., Nugent Lara, Byrd-Craven Jennifer, Development of Number Line Representations in Children With Mathematical Learning Disability, 10.1080/87565640801982361
  21. Halberda Justin, Feigenson Lisa, Developmental change in the acuity of the "number sense": The approximate number system in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-olds and adults., 10.1037/a0012682
  22. Halberda Justin, Mazzocco Michèle M. M., Feigenson Lisa, Individual differences in non-verbal number acuity correlate with maths achievement, 10.1038/nature07246
  23. Hanich Laurie B., Jordan Nancy C., Kaplan David, Dick Jeanine, Performance across different areas of mathematical cognition in children with learning difficulties., 10.1037/0022-0663.93.3.615
  24. Holloway Ian D., Ansari Daniel, Mapping numerical magnitudes onto symbols: The numerical distance effect and individual differences in children’s mathematics achievement, 10.1016/j.jecp.2008.04.001
  25. Huntley-Fenner Gavin, Children's understanding of number is similar to adults' and rats': numerical estimation by 5–7-year-olds, 10.1016/s0010-0277(00)00122-0
  26. Iuculano Teresa, Tang Joey, Hall Charles W.B., Butterworth Brian, Core information processing deficits in developmental dyscalculia and low numeracy, 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00716.x
  27. Izard Véronique, Dehaene Stanislas, Calibrating the mental number line, 10.1016/j.cognition.2007.06.004
  28. Jordan Nancy C., Hanich Laurie B., Kaplan David, A Longitudinal Study of Mathematical Competencies in Children With Specific Mathematics Difficulties Versus Children With Comorbid Mathematics and Reading Difficulties, 10.1111/1467-8624.00571
  29. Khomsi A., Epreuve d’évaluation de la compétence en lecture. Lecture de mots et compréhension-révisée (L.M.C-R) [Test for assessing reading proficiency. Word reading and understanding-Revised] (1998)
  30. Koontz Kristine L., Identifying Simple Numerical Stimuli: Processing Inefficiencies Exhibited by Arithmetic Learning Disabled Children, 10.1080/135467996387525
  31. Landerl Karin, Bevan Anna, Butterworth Brian, Developmental dyscalculia and basic numerical capacities: a study of 8–9-year-old students, 10.1016/j.cognition.2003.11.004
  32. Lipton Jennifer S., Spelke Elizabeth S., Origins of Number Sense : Large-Number Discrimination in Human Infants, 10.1111/1467-9280.01453
  33. Lipton Jennifer S., Spelke Elizabeth S., Discrimination of Large and Small Numerosities by Human Infants, 10.1207/s15327078in0503_2
  34. Mix Kelly S., Huttenlocher Janellen, Levine Susan C., Multiple cues for quantification in infancy: Is number one of them?, 10.1037/0033-2909.128.2.278
  35. Mundy Eleanor, Gilmore Camilla K., Children’s mapping between symbolic and nonsymbolic representations of number, 10.1016/j.jecp.2009.02.003
  36. Mussolin Christophe, Mejias Sandrine, Noël Marie-Pascale, Symbolic and nonsymbolic number comparison in children with and without dyscalculia, 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.10.006
  37. Noël M.-P., British Journal of Educational Psychology. Conference Monographs Series
  38. Piazza Manuela, Facoetti Andrea, Trussardi Anna Noemi, Berteletti Ilaria, Conte Stefano, Lucangeli Daniela, Dehaene Stanislas, Zorzi Marco, Developmental trajectory of number acuity reveals a severe impairment in developmental dyscalculia, 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.03.012
  39. Platt John R., Johnson David M., Localization of position within a homogeneous behavior chain: Effects of error contingencies, 10.1016/0023-9690(71)90020-8
  40. Price Gavin R., Holloway Ian, Räsänen Pekka, Vesterinen Manu, Ansari Daniel, Impaired parietal magnitude processing in developmental dyscalculia, 10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.013
  41. Robinson Carol S., Menchetti Bruce M., Torgesen Joseph K., Toward a Two-Factor Theory of One Type of Mathematics Disabilities, 10.1111/1540-5826.00035
  42. Rourke Byron P., Conway James A., Disabilities of Arithmetic and Mathematical Reasoning : Perspectives From Neurology and Neuropsychology, 10.1177/002221949703000103
  43. Rousselle Laurence, Noël Marie-Pascale, Basic numerical skills in children with mathematics learning disabilities: A comparison of symbolic vs non-symbolic number magnitude processing, 10.1016/j.cognition.2006.01.005
  44. Rousselle Laurence, Noël Marie-Pascale, The development of automatic numerosity processing in preschoolers: Evidence for numerosity-perceptual interference., 10.1037/0012-1649.44.2.544
  45. Rousselle Laurence, Noël Marie-Pascale, Mental Arithmetic in Children With Mathematics Learning Disabilities : The Adaptive Use of Approximate Calculation in an Addition Verification Task, 10.1177/0022219408315638
  46. Rousselle Laurence, Palmers Emmanuelle, Noël Marie-Pascale, Magnitude comparison in preschoolers: what counts? Influence of perceptual variables, 10.1016/j.jecp.2003.10.005
  47. Rubinsten Orly, Henik Avishai, Developmental Dyscalculia: heterogeneity might not mean different mechanisms, 10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.002
  48. Russell Robert L., Ginsburg Herbert P., Cognitive Analysis of Children's Mathematics Difficulties, 10.1207/s1532690xci0102_3
  49. Sattler J. M., Assessment of children's intelligence and special abilities (1982)
  50. Schneider W., (E-Prime, Version 1.2) (2002)
  51. Shalev R. S., Why is math so hard for some children? The nature and origins of mathematical learning difficulties and disabilities, 49 (2007)
  52. Shalev Ruth S, Manor Orly, Gross-Tsur Varda, Developmental dyscalculia: a prospective six-year follow-up, 10.1017/s0012162205000216
  53. Siegler Robert S., Booth Julie L., Development of Numerical Estimation in Young Children, 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00684.x
  54. Siegler Robert S., Opfer John E., The Development of Numerical Estimation : Evidence for Multiple Representations of Numerical Quantity, 10.1111/1467-9280.02438
  55. Simonart G., Echelle d'apprentissage scolaires primaires [Scale of primary school learning] (1998)
  56. Temple C. M., Handbook of neuropsychology, 7, 211 (1992)
  57. von Aster Michael G, Shalev Ruth S, Number development and developmental dyscalculia, 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00868.x
  58. Walsh V, A theory of magnitude: common cortical metrics of time, space and quantity, 10.1016/j.tics.2003.09.002
  59. Wechsler D., Manuel du WISC-IV [Manual: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children] (2005)
  60. Whalen John, Gallistel C.R., Gelman Rochel, Nonverbal Counting in Humans: The Psychophysics of Number Representation, 10.1111/1467-9280.00120
  61. Wilson A. J., Human behavior, learning, and the developing brain: Atypical development, 212 (2007)
  62. Wilson J. T. Lindsay, Scott Jane H., Power Kevin G., Developmental differences in the span of visual memory for pattern, 10.1111/j.2044-835x.1987.tb01060.x
  63. Wood Justin N., Spelke Elizabeth S., Infants' enumeration of actions: numerical discrimination and its signature limits, 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.00404.x
  64. Xu Fei, Spelke Elizabeth S., Large number discrimination in 6-month-old infants, 10.1016/s0010-0277(99)00066-9
Bibliographic reference Mejias Vanslype, Sandrine ; Mussolin, Christophe ; Rousselle, Laurence ; Grégoire, Jacques ; Noël, Marie-Pascale. Numerical and nonnumerical estimation in children with and without mathematical learning disabilities. In: Child Neuropsychology, Vol. 18, no.6, p. 550-575 (2012)
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/142832