Abstract:

The study was supposed to discover the cognitive processing mechanism of MLD. Math learning disability (MLD) is an important area of learning disability, accounting for large percentage of students in the middle school. Now there emerges a leading paradigm for carrying out research on MLD from the viewpoint of information processing. The study was designed the find out whether the MLD students have domain-general deficit on the cognitive processing when they solve the math problem or they have specific mechanism. The criteria for defining the MLD or math learning disorder of this study is: the math score was lower than 20% of the total score, with normal IQ, and without the obvious organic deficit, emotional disorder and learning motivation disorder. Based on the three-factor model put forward by Baddeley and Hitch (1974), this study designed the experiment tasks of the stop signal task and Flanker tasks to exploring the differences of the central executive system of working memory. There are 111 students participating the study, with 55 MLD students and 56 students who are good at math (with 46 male students and 68 female students, average age is 11.97-year-old). The tasks were designed on the computer by E-prime software. Each participant spent 30 minutes finishing the experiments with the guide of psychological graduate students. The results of Stop signal task showed that MLD students have lower score than students good at math on the conditions of SOA10ms (t=-3.48, p<0.01), SOA70ms (t=-4.08, p<0.001), SOA150ms (t=-3.11, p<0.01) and SOA230ms (t=-2.28, p<0.05), but with no significant difference on the condition of SOA300ms (t=-1.586, p>0.05). The results of Flanker task showed two groups have significant difference on the accuracy of tasks (t=-4.05, p<0.001). The regression analysis indicated that the interference conditions can better predict math achievement than the conditions without interference. The developmental trend of central executive ability among the junior school students grew with age, but two groups had different shapes. The students good at math development smoothly, however, the MLD students fluctuated on the 7-grade. The conclusion of the study was the MLD students couldn’t finish the tasks with high loaded working memory demand, but they were capable to finish some simple cognitive tasks, which meant that the counter interference and attention control abilities deficit was the core deficit in the MLD.

摘要：

为揭示数学学习困难学生的认知过程加工特点，筛选上海111名初中生（男生46名，女生68名，平均年龄11.97岁）比较数学困难学生（55名）与数学优秀学生（56名）的中央执行系统的表现差异，通过反应停止任务和Flanker任务考察抑制能力以及注意控制能力。结果发现各种抑制和注意控制条件下，数困组学生的正确率低于数优组；在具有干扰的情况的成绩更能有效预测数学成绩；中央执行系统能力在初中总体具有上升发展趋势，数困生的发展具有波动性。因此，数学学习困难在中央执行系统中的缺损主要是对抗干扰的能力不足，而非简单的加工速度。