title: Symbolic and non-symbolic number magnitude processing in children with developmental dyscalculia.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate if children with Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) exhibit a general deficit in magnitude representations or a specific deficit in the connection of symbolic representations with the corresponding analogous magnitudes. DD was diagnosed using a timed arithmetic task. The experimental magnitude comparison tasks were presented in non-symbolic and symbolic formats. DD and typically developing (TD) children showed similar numerical distance and size congruity effects. However, DD children performed significantly slower in the symbolic task. These results are consistent with the access deficit hypothesis, according to which DD children's deficits are caused by difficulties accessing magnitude information from numerical symbols rather than in processing numerosities per se.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Neurociencias de Cuba, Ave 25 No. 15202 esq. 158. Cubanacán, Playa, Ciudad Habana, Cuba. danilkac@cneuro.edu.cu
authors.forename: Danilka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Castro Cañizares
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reigosa Crespo
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González Alemañy
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D060705:Dyscalculia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D057190:Stroop Test