Numerical Magnitude Processing in Deaf Adolescents and Its Contribution to Arithmetical Ability

Overview

Journal Front Psychol

Date 2021 Apr 12

PMID 33841229

Citations 2

Authors

Lilan Chen

Yan Wang

Hongbo Wen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Although most deaf individuals could use sign language or sign/spoken language mix, hearing loss would still affect their language acquisition. Compensatory plasticity holds that the lack of auditory stimulation experienced by deaf individuals, such as congenital deafness, can be met by enhancements in visual cognition. And the studies of hearing individuals have showed that visual form perception is the cognitive mechanism that could explain the association between numerical magnitude processing and arithmetic computation. Therefore, we examined numerical magnitude processing and its contribution to arithmetical ability in deaf adolescents, and explored the differences between the congenital and acquired deafness. 112 deaf adolescents (58 congenital deafness) and 58 hearing adolescents performed a series of cognitive and mathematical tests, and it was found there was no significant differences between the congenital group and the hearing group, but congenital group outperformed acquired group in numerical magnitude processing (reaction time) and arithmetic computation. It was also found there was a close association between numerical magnitude processing and arithmetic computation in all deaf adolescents, and after controlling for the demographic variables (age, gender, onset of hearing loss) and general cognitive abilities (non-verbal IQ, processing speed, reading comprehension), numerical magnitude processing could predict arithmetic computation in all deaf adolescents but not in congenital group. The role of numerical magnitude processing (symbolic and non-symbolic) in deaf adolescents' mathematical performance should be paid attention in the training of arithmetical ability.

Citing Articles

The relationship between numerical magnitude processing and math anxiety, and their joint effect on adult math performance, varied by indicators of numerical tasks.

Szczygiel M, Sari M Cogn Process. 2024; 25(3):421-442.

PMID: 38644404 PMC: 11269442. DOI: 10.1007/s10339-024-01186-0.

Deprivation of Auditory Experience Influences Numerosity Discrimination, but Not Numerosity Estimation.

Tonelli A, Togoli I, Arrighi R, Gori M Brain Sci. 2022; 12(2).

PMID: 35203942 PMC: 8869924. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020179.

References

Ritchie S, Bates T . Enduring links from childhood mathematics and reading achievement to adult socioeconomic status. Psychol Sci. 2013; 24(7):1301-8. DOI: 10.1177/0956797612466268. View

Turconi E, Jemel B, Rossion B, Seron X . Electrophysiological evidence for differential processing of numerical quantity and order in humans. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2004; 21(1):22-38. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2004.05.003. View

Booth J, Siegler R . Numerical magnitude representations influence arithmetic learning. Child Dev. 2008; 79(4):1016-31. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01173.x. View

Wei W, Lu H, Zhao H, Chen C, Dong Q, Zhou X . Gender differences in children's arithmetic performance are accounted for by gender differences in language abilities. Psychol Sci. 2012; 23(3):320-30. DOI: 10.1177/0956797611427168. View

Guducu C, Ergonul I, Oniz A, Ikiz A, Ozgoren M . Deaf adolescents have bigger responses for somatosensory and visual stimulations. Neurosci Lett. 2019; 707:134283. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134283. View

Siegler R, Booth J . Development of numerical estimation in young children. Child Dev. 2004; 75(2):428-44. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00684.x. View

Halberda J, Mazzocco M, Feigenson L . Individual differences in non-verbal number acuity correlate with maths achievement. Nature. 2008; 455(7213):665-8. DOI: 10.1038/nature07246. View

Kral A, Kronenberger W, Pisoni D, ODonoghue G . Neurocognitive factors in sensory restoration of early deafness: a connectome model. Lancet Neurol. 2016; 15(6):610-21. PMC: 6260790. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(16)00034-X. View

Dehaene S . Varieties of numerical abilities. Cognition. 1992; 44(1-2):1-42. DOI: 10.1016/0010-0277(92)90049-n. View

10.

Zhang T, Chen C, Chen C, Wei W . Gender differences in the development of semantic and spatial processing of numbers. Br J Dev Psychol. 2020; 38(3):391-414. DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12329. View

11.

Huber M, Kipman U, Pletzer B . Reading instead of reasoning? Predictors of arithmetic skills in children with cochlear implants. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2014; 78(7):1147-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2014.04.038. View

12.

Rodriguez-Santos J, Calleja M, Garcia-Orza J, Iza M, Damas J . Quantity processing in deaf and hard of hearing children: evidence from symbolic and nonsymbolic comparison tasks. Am Ann Deaf. 2014; 159(1):34-44. DOI: 10.1353/aad.2014.0015. View

13.

Kennedy C, McCann D, Campbell M, Law C, Mullee M, Petrou S . Language ability after early detection of permanent childhood hearing impairment. N Engl J Med. 2006; 354(20):2131-41. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa054915. View

14.

Traff U, Olsson L, Skagerlund K, Ostergren R . Cognitive mechanisms underlying third graders' arithmetic skills: Expanding the pathways to mathematics model. J Exp Child Psychol. 2017; 167:369-387. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.11.010. View

15.

Fazio L, Bailey D, Thompson C, Siegler R . Relations of different types of numerical magnitude representations to each other and to mathematics achievement. J Exp Child Psychol. 2014; 123:53-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.01.013. View

16.

Cohen L, Dehaene S, Chochon F, Lehericy S, Naccache L . Language and calculation within the parietal lobe: a combined cognitive, anatomical and fMRI study. Neuropsychologia. 2000; 38(10):1426-40. DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3932(00)00038-5. View

17.

Goldstein D, Haldane D, Mitchell C . Sex differences in visual-spatial ability: the role of performance factors. Mem Cognit. 1990; 18(5):546-50. DOI: 10.3758/bf03198487. View

18.

Tavakoli H . The Relationship Between Accuracy of Numerical Magnitude Comparisons and Children's Arithmetic Ability: A Study in Iranian Primary School Children. Eur J Psychol. 2016; 12(4):567-583. PMC: 5114873. DOI: 10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1175. View

19.

Elbeheri G, Everatt J, Mahfoudhi A, Abu Al-Diyar M, Taibah N . Orthographic processing and reading comprehension among Arabic speaking mainstream and LD children. Dyslexia. 2011; 17(2):123-42. DOI: 10.1002/dys.430. View

20.

Gallagher A, De Lisi R, Holst P, Morely M, Cahalan C . Gender differences in advanced mathematical problem solving. J Exp Child Psychol. 2000; 75(3):165-90. DOI: 10.1006/jecp.1999.2532. View