title: Do subitizing deficits in developmental dyscalculia involve pattern recognition weakness?
abstract: The abilities of children diagnosed with developmental dyscalculia (DD) were examined in two types of object enumeration: subitizing, and small estimation (5-9 dots). Subitizing is usually defined as a fast and accurate assessment of a number of small dots (range 1 to 4 dots), and estimation is an imprecise process to assess a large number of items (range 5 dots or more). Based on reaction time (RT) and accuracy analysis, our results indicated a deficit in the subitizing and small estimation range among DD participants in relation to controls. There are indications that subitizing is based on pattern recognition, thus presenting dots in a canonical shape in the estimation range should result in a subitizing-like pattern. In line with this theory, our control group presented a subitizing-like pattern in the small estimation range for canonically arranged dots, whereas the DD participants presented a deficit in the estimation of canonically arranged dots. The present finding indicates that pattern recognition difficulties may play a significant role in both subitizing and subitizing deficits among those with DD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. sarit.ashkenas@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sarit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashkenazi
authors.forename: Nitza
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mark-Zigdon
authors.forename: Avishai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henik
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D060705:Dyscalculia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time